Adventure: Frisky Forest Dwellers

((I figure I'll throw this intro out here, and if people want to join in, I'll be happy to oblige! I don't know how this is usually done, I get the impression that a lot setting up who is in what adventure was done over PMs, but I'll do this for now. Ideally, this adventure would run with three people, but I could work with more or less as needed. Also, with the freestyle approach for adventuring that we're trying to go off of now, I'm going to work less with stats and rolls and more with "you're character is approached with this situation" "my character makes this decision" "here's the consequences for that decision". Anyway, without further ado...))

The town of Bushview was a small little village, well within the kingdom's borders, but still a good day or two of travel from the capital. Bordering a large, dense forest, the majority of the townsfolks' livelihood came from fur and meat trades, with an occasional benefit from the harvest when the autumn months rolled around.

"But that livelihood is in danger," the woman in front of you says. She introduced herself as the town's marshal, and her stony expression definitely seems to fit someone in that position. "Our townsfolk have long since come to an agreement with the... inhabits, of the neighboring forest. Dryads," she clarifies, seeing your inquiring expression, "spirits of the trees. Normally they keep to themselves, deep in the middle of the forest, and let us benefit from what the woods provide."

She paces, and as you stand with her near the town gates, you see her gaze disappearing into the trees. Be it the wind, your imagination, or something else, you swear you see something shifting past the farthest trunks. "The last few people to go into the woods have all been treated as intruders. They haven't been hurt!" She says, quickly turning, making sure she hasn't discouraged you. "But they've been... dazed. Put under some sort of spell that makes them docile, like they're drunk out of their minds." You notice one of the women behind her, one of the gate guards, blush and turn away. "The dryads do that to them, take whatever their wearing, and set them back out at the edge of town, happy-go-lucky and not a care in the world towards however they might not be dressed."

"The effect wears off in a few hours time, but it's still making it impossible for people to do what they need to get by. What's worse, they've been doing this closer and closer to the forest's edge. Eventually, we might not be able to go into the forest at all." The marshal finally turns to face you, looking you in the eye. "You should be capable enough to fend... whatever this is off long enough to get to the forest's center and figure out what's happening. Or at least long enough to hold one down and ask them why they've suddenly changed their attitudes towards us." She nods. "If you're ready, I wish you good luck."

Christie the Grey Witch stood with a smirk, nodding attentively and smiling confidently at the marshal.  She was disguised in her humble brown cloak, a bit threadbare and worn at the edges, and thus she hadn't yet revealed her scanty, cursed garment beneath.  That gauzy, ragged, ripped dress of hers and the strange clawed wristbands she favored often gave away her identity as a lusty and infamous trickster.  For now she was just an attractive, mysterious magician with a bit of her long, dark blond curls hanging out from beneath her hood.

"Well," she replied in a milky tone that might've been taken as ominous if one were paying too close attention.  "Dryads, you needn't worry about -- I've dealt with their like before," she mused.  "The fae are often just... misunderstood," she continued.  "My mind, I shall ward with my magics.  This land is blessed with many wizards and all like of magic users, but I assure you I'm among the best," Christie quietly boasted.  "And humble, too."

Glancing towards the forest line, the witch went quiet and her gold-grey eyes studied the trees from a distance.  After a few moments of distracted staring, Christie shook her head and looked back at the marshal.  "I'll take care of the dryads... peaceably.  And I'll find out what's got them so worked up.  All for a very modest fee.  I'm charitable like that. There's just the one other matter..." she trailed off, glancing around again, this time in the direction of the town.  "The help?  I think another two or three capable women should be sufficient to handle this without any... complications."

Of course, what Christie said made sense -- the need for other adventurers, that is.  What the subtle smirk on her full lips hinted at, though, was how much more fun it would be if she had some attractive company along for the ride.

"However, if no others show, I might just have to increase my rate slightly and handle this myself.  Which is fine," she smiled, showing off her pearly whites.  "If no one shows up before..." and she paused to study the sky, "midday?  I'll go off alone.  Agreeable?"

((edit: if no one responds soonish or if we just don't want to lose momentum, assume that Christie has traveled off into the forest and we'll continue from there. Others can obviously join in as they become available, right?))

((Really smart of me to try reviving this around the holidays when life gets busy, huh? Anyways, I'd like to join in on this.))

Raine didn't particularly care for the rather backwater town of Bushview; it didn't hold a candle to the grandeur of the capital city, to be sure. Of course, it had been her own decision to look for work outside the city, figuring a change of scenery might do her some good. When she'd heard of Bushview's call for aid she was quick to set out, only to be told that the town marshal was already meeting with another adventurer.

So it was that the mage found herself sitting in the simple building that passed for a tavern, idly staring out a window to the town center as she waited for the marshal to finish speaking to the other adventurer. There was something about the cloaked figure that seemed familiar, but Raine couldn't quite put her finger on it... It was probably nothing.

"Hopefully they want more than just one person taking care of this job..." Raine mused to herself. "I could certainly use the money." At that moment the mage's stomach rumbled, driving her point home.

Christie:

The marshal frowns at the suggestion of you increasing your rate; financial negotiation is far from her favorite thing in the world, and the towns economic trouble both makes her even more reluctant and gives her even less of a choice.

"Yes, well," she begins, sighing and looking down. "We are, of course, prepared to discuss your payment, but I feel as though..." the marshal trails off as another woman approaches you two. She's young, wearing guard armor, and at the marshal's nod approaches her boss to whisper in her ear. The Marshal nods again, her expression relaxing, if only slightly, and she thanks her subordinate as she runs off, towards the tavern. Slowly, she turns back to you.

"Good news," she says, coughing once, quickly into her fist. Her expression hasn't changed, but you get the feeling that she's happy to have an excuse not to talk about increasing your pay. "We've got another adventurer interested in the job. A mage, like yourself, from what I'm being told." The marshal points to the tavern as her guard quickly retreats inside. "My guard's bringing her over now. If you'd like to wait and depart together, this shouldn't take too long. If you can't stand to wait, you're free to head in on your own. There's a short trail into the forest, should make it a little easier on you for at least a little bit of the journey. We'll send this other girl in after you."

She regards you for a moment longer, looking you over once, before nodding in acknowledgement once more and turning her gaze towards the tavern.

Raine:

No sooner does your stomach rumble than a woman come up from behind you, tapping your shoulder. As you turn, you see a young woman in the garb of the town's guards, smiling at you patiently.

"You were here for the forest job, right?" She grins. "Great! It looks like they're just about done talking; you wait right here." She jogs out the door, glancing back through the window, though she can't seem to find you past the glare of the Sun. It's hard to make out from the distance, but the Marshal seems happy to hear whatever the guard has to say. A good sign, maybe? Meanwhile, you can't tell what the woman in the cloak is thinking, or what's bothering you about her. If she'd just turn around, maybe you could get a good look at her face...

You're broken from that line of thought when the guardswoman comes running back into the tavern. "She's ready to meet you, and your companion seems ready to depart if you're good to go! They can fill you in, real quick!" and, still half in the door, she motions for you to join her and her captain outside.

((This is fine so far, and if anyone else wants to join in it should be easy enough to make that work. Just real quick: if I could get a short description of what Raine is wearing in your next segment that would help. Thanks!))

Christie shrugged and looked over her shoulder in the direction of the tavern. She couldn't see anyone from here, but she did have that strange tingling sensation like magic was nearby. A vaguely familiar aura, at that.

"Hmm, alright, some help will be... nice," she purred, narrowing her eyes. "I'll just... scout up ahead," she continued with a slightly dreamy tone in her voice. "Tell whomever to meet me by the tree line, and we'll get the job done, marshal."

With that, Christie began to casually walk towards the trees, with the soft grass tickling her sandal-clad feet and calves.

From the edge of the forest, you can see that the grass and trees, though certainly growing well here, only get thicker and thicker as you look further in. As promised, there is a short dirt trail heading into the woods, though it likely doesn't reach as far as you might want before ending. A soft breeze is blowing, rustling the grass. In some spots, it seems to rustle a bit more than the breeze might be able to move it though. And faintly,very faintly on the wind, you can smell something sweet. Cloyingly, almost sickly sweet, even from the small waft you got, and yet almost familiar, enticing. You swallow reflexively as it tickles the back of your throat, and wonder how long you can wait like this before taking action.

"Oh! Thank you!" Raine quickly blurted out as she sat up from her seat and rushed out of the tavern.

The run to the marshal was quick, though Raine could see that the other adventurer had already departed for the edge of the forest without her. Figuring that it would be better to make sure the marshal knows her name and what she looks like so she could make sure to get paid, the mage came to an abrupt stop in front of the other woman.

"Hello there, my name is Raine, and you can consider me at your town's service!" the redhead said evenly, trying not to appear to relieved to be getting the job.

Raine had dressed in what she considered an appropriate outfit for adventuring outside of the capital. A blue half-robe covered her from her neck to just past her knees, allowing her plain brown boots and white linen breeches to be seen. A light cloak hung from her shoulders, the same blue as her robe. She wore no jewelry, deciding instead to present herself as modest while still showcasing her magical nature.

As soon as the marshal had filled her in on the nature of the job, Raine gave a quick nod of thanks and hurried off to catch up with the other woman. There was something irritating her about how familiar the cloaked figure seemed, and even something in her magical aura seemed familiar. She needed to know who she was working with.

Having felt such forces at work before, and having been the one to employ such enchantments, Christie was especially aware of the effects that were taking hold of her.  She took a begrudging step backwards, shook her head, and turned around briskly.  Getting a few strides more away from the tree line, she took a deep breath and looked around -- she might actually need help on this one, and did that aura in fact belong to...

Well, hell. If it isn't the closest thing I've had to a rival in... decades?  Christie scrunched up her face for the briefest of moments, trying to recall her foggy, nigh-immortal existence.  Sometimes it seemed like her inability to remember was the only thing that kept her sane.  But she didn't like to consider such things.

Her concerned, perhaps irritated demeanor quickly melted away when she beheld Raine.  Mmh.  And what a rival to have.  Christie's predatory grin crept onto her plush lips, despite her attempts to show some restraint, as she folded her arms and watched Raine approach with a knowing look.  Gold-grey eyes definitely studied her rival's curves and movements as she approached... Control yourself for now, Christie, and you'll be rewarded later, she had to remind herself.  When it seemed like the sorceress was far away enough from the marshal and other guards, she slowly pulled her hood back from her head and gave her dark blond locks a flip over her shoulders.  It was a touch dramatic, but the almost-slow-motion of her hair as it rippled into place made it all seem quite unplanned and unintentional.  The witch stood, arms akimbo, as she fixed Raine with a look that was somehow wry but serious.

"Well well well, if it isn't the Queen's newest sycophant," she said in tones that were playful enough, unless you were the defensive type.  "Now now, no need to be alarmed," she said, holding up a hand and making a diffusing gesture, before Raine could retort to the first part or cry protest of any kind.  "Truth be told I'm kind of glad to have competent help here.  You'll see why in a moment -- potent fae magic is at work in those woods.  The kind that apparently makes you drift off into a beautiful sleep and wake up doing things that you might wish no one had seen..." she mused, still a touch playful -- her roaming eyes seemed to be reminiscing over Raine's body, mentally undressing her.  It seemed like Christie might be about to let her respond, but cut her off one last time.

"SO, and I'll let you speak in a moment, WE may have to actually watch each others' backs here, if you know what I mean.  It looks like it's just going to be the two of us.  I promise to do everything in my power to stop you from wandering back to town stark naked, if you promise the same..?"  Christie's smile was hopeful.  Much as one might speculate about her exhibitionist streak, she looked genuinely optimistic about keeping her clothing on today.

"If you agree, we can continue whenever you're ready. Maybe we should try to protect our minds somehow...?"

Raine stopped short when she realized just who it was that she was following. The town might not have known about the rivalry between the two spellcasters, but that didn't change Raine's shock. Was she expected to work with Christie?!

As the witch spoke, Raine attempted several times to interject, only to have the other woman continue on. When the infamous woman finally gave Raine the chance to speak, the redhead jumped at it.

"Okay, first of all, I am not a sycophant. I respect the Queen's power and I recognize that a place in her court is one of the best positions anybody could hope for." Raine began, already irritated at Christie's choice of words. "Now, second, it's nice to hear you recognize that I am indeed competent. Since I have no intention of hurting my reputation by backing out of a job, I'm willing to work with you. We keep each other safe, we get paid, everyone's happy. As for protecting our minds, well, we could choose something to use as a focus. An object or thought we can cling to when our minds are in doubt or being influenced, a sort of anchor, you know? Any ideas?"

Christie blinked a few times as she weathered Raine's comments, eventually smiling at the realization that she'd successfully gotten her a little worked up.

Keeping her calm smile, she waited until she was finished and nodded. With a wave of her hand and a wisp of shadow, a large raven appeared on her shoulder. It looked old, and somehow wise.

"This is my little seen friend and familiar, Oslo. He's quite intelligent, and since his mind isn't exactly human, he should serve as a good guide and "anchor" for our intentions. Oslo?" She asked, touching his wing gently.

Christie seemed a bit more serene and focused for a moment. Sighing, she looked at Raine and gestured to the large black bird on her shoulder.

"Give him a touch, focus on him, and let's be on our way..."

Touching the bird, one perhaps more hesitantly than the other, affords the two of you a certain sense of clarity. The smell, while still there, is no longer sticking in Christie's throat and nose, and doesn't get the chance to try Raine. Oslo caws softly, and the two of you feel it as much as you hear it, a ringing in your head that, when it subsides, leaves your head perfectly clear. With protection secure, you both begin your journey into the woods.

The uneasy alliance gives way to an awkward silence, punctuated by a probing verbal barb, or the occasional alert as you see a rustling in the grass, only for it to be a fox or squirrel. Eventually, you come to the end of the short trail, with an expanse of forest between you and your goal at the center. The sweet scent is more pronounced here, and while Oslo's assistance seems to keep you from the worst of it, and it's presumed magical effects, the scent in and of itself is strong enough to give you a headache as you try to contemplate how best to proceed.

It is in this time that Raine's eyes start to wander. Her companion is peering into the trees ahead of them, but the young sorceress lets her gaze drift, just for a moment, off to the side. A pair of purple eyes stare back out at her from beyond the trees.

The woman is slender, with fair green skin, peeking out from behind a tree. Her hair is also dark green, matching the woven vines as leaves that make up her clothing. She is wearing a tight top that starts under her arms and reaches down to her stomach, looking secure if scant over a modest chest, and a skirt that extends its cover down her slender hips and ends just above the knee. She smiles at Raine, and winks, and suddenly the smell is much stronger and Raine can feel her cheeks start to flush slightly. Her robe and breeches start to seem stifling, clinging, far too warm in this sun... but Raine didn't become the Queen's 'sycophant' without some degree of mental fortitude. When she looks back over, the dryad has disappeared, though is very likely close, given the pronounced effects Raine still feels.

Meanwhile, Christie has not been entirely inattentive; with her raven's assistance, she was peering into the forest for the safest path through the trees, and instead saw shifting leaves and branches where there was no wind. She found three distinct moving patches in general, and her eyes go wide as she realizes that the three entities are getting closer and closer, and wheels around to alert Raine... but finds that, in her concentration, she failed to notice the vines coiling at her feet, and only just manages to pull away before one snaps up for her wrist.

The two mages are capable, certainly, but between the mental assault on one and the physical assault on the other, there's no way of telling who might come out worse; Raine, Christie, or their assailants in the trees.

((A wonderfully descriptive post sir. Just to clarify: Christie is in danger of getting entangled by the vines? Or one has just gotten her around the wrist?))

((She's in danger of being entangled, not totally caught yet. A few are growing around her legs, and there are one or two long enough to go for her wrist, but the first one that tried missed.))

Christie's attempts to stay focused and avoid being surprised by anything almost worked against her. The surreal setting and the mostly silent woods around her had her guessing which way the danger could come from at any moment, to the point of paranoia. She was looking every way but down, really.

That vine almost caught her wrist, and the ones at her feet like snakes had her jumping in place. She covered her mouth to stifle an alarmed gasp, then found herself feeling rather silly. The instinct inside of her that told her to just 'throw some fire at it' almost won out in that moment -- she extended her hand with the dim reflection of magical flames brewing behind her irises. Looking around grimly, she remembered she was here to broker peace, not set half the forest ablaze.

With a determined "hmph" she kicked at some of the vines, then put some distance between them and herself, trotting on closer to Raine.

"The bloody vines are... 'awake.' Keep an eye out for them, yeah?" she said quietly. She gave another little grunt, this time as she took the vine that had attempted to grab at her wrist, the thing persistently snaking after her. Quickly, the witch tangled it up as best she could into a knot before tossing the thing as far as she could, brushing off her hands and looking around.

"Raine?" she asked again, uncertain, glancing over her shoulder at her eerily quiet companion.

((Apologies for disappearing for a few days there. Life, holidays, work, you know how it can get.))

"They're... they're watching us." Raine managed to say, shaking her head to try and clear the fog invading her mind. "I think their magic gets stronger the closer we get to them..."

The magic had lessened somewhat with the dryad's disappearance, but the stifling discomfort still persisted. Raine's skin felt more sensitive than normal, sharply feeling the sensation of every bit of fabric touching her skin. Her clothing felt uncomfortable, constricting, troublesome. A tiny whisper at the back of her thoughts suggested taking them off and enjoying the open air.

It took some effort, but the sorceress was able to push the thought from her mind. That wasn't her own thought, it was the magic trying to control her. She couldn't let herself fall victim to their tricks. Not now, at least not until Christie had faltered. There was no way she was about to slip and let the witch hold that over her head.

"Watch the trees, and I think it might be wise to avoid looking them directly in their eyes. Gateway to the soul and all that." Raine suggested, magic glowing at her fingertips ready to go.

((No problem, I'm also going to be a little busy in the coming weeks so I might be a little sporadic in posting for a while but I'll try to be around when I can.))

Raine managed to shake off the enchantment, or at least push back against it for a moment, but it was definitely still there. And yes, she was also right when she felt them back off a bit. But, both magic users could feel the energy given off as a powerful enchantment was cast from within the trees ahead of them. Raine was positioned to see what was happening, but Christie was at a disadvantage, looking back to check on her companion. This let an animated vine, thicker and longer than the rest, snake out from one of the trees and start dragging her towards the treeline by her arm, while the seemingly defeated vines at her feet seemed to get a second wind as they tore small tatters from the bottom of her cloak as she was dragged away.

Meanwhile, Raine was poised to help, but the same vines were now assaulting her, a few wrapping around her ankles and one managing to snag her by the wrist. As she fought, she felt another wave of the enchantment, and had to force herself to keep her head down as she saw a couple of green figures moving out of the corner of her eye, coming closer. The dryads can tell they're not dealing with run of the mill villagers, and are trying to divide and conquer their latest set of intruders. They have faith in their strategy, but perhaps the mages will prove them wrong...

Christie acted pretty quickly, instinct taking over and bringing magic easily to her fingertips, as it often did. She brought a hand up to her wrist, and a jet of clear, amber, oily substance sprayed from her digits. Her hand, and most of the bigger, thicker vine, was instantly coated in the slippery lubricant. The jet of forceful liquid continued to gush forth, and she made an effort to blast the vine back as far as possible.

Spinning around, she seemed to sense other vines creeping up on her. Feeling as if she'd found an appropriate weapon, Christie pointed both hands forward and began to shoot jets of the oil at the oncoming army of serpentine vines, smirking as the firehose-like blasts kept the threat at bay while she tried to make her way closer to Raine.

"Hey. I'm kind of a just take-it-as-it-comes kind of adventurer, planning on the fly when I need to. Ordinarily I would just try to fly out of here or something, you know, not quite worth all this trouble, but ehh... Wouldn't really be too polite right now though, would it?" she shrugged, continuing to do her best to spray back the vines.

"Maybe you have some kind of plan on how to get in touch with these beings? Or just to get out of this particular predicament without pissing them off further? I'm a bit, hmm, out of touch with current fae customs," she murmured nonchalantly, a strange, distant look on her face, and hoped she wasn't missing any of the vines snaking their way towards the two of them. She hadn't quite taken stock of what on her had gotten torn up yet -- she hadn't had the chance.

Raine struggled against the vines at her ankles and wrist, catching a glimpse of more dryads she was quick to keep her gaze down at the forest floor. If she was too aggressive, there was no way things wouldn't turn into a fight. There had to be a more peaceful way to handle this...

Fire would destroy the vines, but would almost certainly enrage the forest-dwelling beings. Instead, the sorceress tried something the knew would be risky. Ice formed around Raine's lower legs, locking her feet in place and freezing the ends of the vines wrapped around her. Even if it proved too strong, the vine around her wrist wouldn't be pulling her anywhere with her anchored to the earth like this.

"Children of the forest, please, hear us out!" Raine said, speaking up to hopefully be heard by any nearby dryads. "We do not seek to do you or your forest harm. We merely come on behalf of the people of the village. Why have you turned aggressive towards them? Have they offended you in some way?"

Dryads and other fae creatures might be fickle, but they often weren't violent without reason. Perhaps something the village had done recently had angered the spirits? Of course, there was always the possibility that Raine's assumption was wrong, and there was no peaceful solution to the problem. Still, it couldn't possibly hurt to try diplomacy. Could it?

((Hey, sorry for the delay. Like I said, these next couple of weeks are going to be kicking my ass every so often, so thanks for bearing with me. I'll have a post coming up really soon after this one. Thanks for waiting.))

Raine was standing solid, the ice around her feet keeping her locked to the floor, even as the vine at her wrist coiled tighter. The sensation was a bit uncomfortable, and she wasn't sure how well her footwear and pant legs would come out of it, but she was safe from the vines for a moment. The cold also seemed to be keeping more vines from sprouting, actively discouraging them from coming too close. Of course, this only meant that more were growing longer, ready to snap at her arms from farther away. Meanwhile, she could hear giggling as footsteps came closer behind her. A hand settled on each shoulder, and even not looking at the dryad, Raine was swimming in the smell now. It was a faintly familiar aroma at this distance, like a strong, sweet, perfumed wine. The hand on her right shoulder slid down to gently grasp her arm, while the one on her left shoulder reached over to mess with the clasp of her cloak.

"Heeey, come on," the dryad whispered in her ear, "Who's being aggressive? We're not hurtin' anybody..." The smell gets stronger every time she opens her mouth, and her way of speaking is strangely drawn out, slurring in places. "We told... we told you guys you can't keep coming in here anymore! Sorry!" Two more giggling voices come in from behind. "We're just followin' orders, y'know? So just enjoy the feelin', and we'll have you out of here innnnnnnno time." Raine's mission is still clear, pounding in the back of her head... but the more the sprite talks, the more and more her head becomes fuzzy, the harder it is to resist the hands sliding around her body, fiddling with clasps.

Christie has a better view of the events unfolding, the dryads having circled around through the trees to come out behind Raine. The vine's she's sprayed don't give up, but they are deterred, if by nothing else than their lack of effectiveness, slippery as they now were. Still, they didn't stop; the cloak she was wearing had been torn up to her knees before the lubricant was applied, and now her legs were being slathered with the stuff as the vines tried to wrap around her and slipped off, spreading the oily liquid back onto it's origin. It didn't help that she'd had to blast a few patches of vines in between her and Raine, making that ground treacherously slippery as she tried moving forward. The vines were bad now; they could only be worse if she wound up on her front or back.

Still, looking up, she could see that Raine was not in a state to be left alone. One dryad had her arms on Raine; not doing her any harm, but Raine seemed to be struggling to focus as the woman whispered literally-sweet nothings in her ear. The other two were staring at Christie, and Christie got her first look at them. All three were fairly slender, though one was tall and very lithe, while the other was shorter and a bit curvier, with the one on Raine seeming somewhere in the middle. They were walking past Raine, though still keeping their distance from Christine. The tall stayed further back than the short one. The tall one seemed to be muttering something, and the vines shuddered and became more animated as she waved her hands over them. The shorter one was grinning up at Christine.

"Looks like you two are going to be a little tough, huh~~" She punctuates her sentence with a burst of laughter. "That's fine. Less have some fun!"

"Bloody vines!" Christie panted, wildly throwing out more waves and waves of the oily liquid, trying to weigh the foliage down without smothering it. "Ugh," she said, looking down at her ripped cloak, pausing for a moment to admire her glistening toned calves in the light. Hmm. Wait, got to focus...

Raine heard a loud 'CAW!' in the distance... the raven Christie had summoned, perhaps. Through the fog, Oslo would inevitably guide Raine out of any hypnosis or enchantment the dryads were weaving over her mind. The only question was whether or not Raine would fall victim long enough to do something she regretted...

"Raine?" Christie called out after she realized her companion had been somewhat silent. Turning dramatically, dark blond curls whipping over her bare shoulders, with what little cloak she had left billowing in the wind, Christie surveyed the revealed foes.

"Hey! That one is mine!" Christie said with a sudden, fierce possessiveness. Seeing the fae figures triggered something in her, told her to act fast. Instinct kicked in and she channeled magical power into the last spell she had going. She drew her hands together this time, pointing her fingertips at the one that had her hands on Raine. The air around her hands would ripple as she conjured another great stream of... lubricant. The blast was powerful enough to take most normal humanoids off their feet, if it hit.

Most of Christie's focus was on directing this stream over the three dryads, one by one, in the hopes of clearing them away from Raine. Thus, while her magic was especially potent at this particular moment, the witch herself was more than a little oblivious to any other threats around her.

"They haven't hurt us yet, that's true..." Raine thought as the dryads surrounded her. "And they aren't being aggressive. Maybe... maybe they're alright?"

With her mind clouded by the dryad's magic, Raine put up no resistance as she felt her cloak's clasp come undone and the length of fabric fell to the forest floor. The dryad's breath was warm in her ear as she whispered, and Raine couldn't help but shiver slightly at the sensation. Was this really all so bad?

The cry of Christie's raven helped drive the fog from Raine's mind, and her thoughts slowly became her own again. She'd almost let the dryads overtake her entirely! Even worse, the one whispering in her ear was letting her hands wander as they pleased, and one of them had begun to slip under the neckline of her robe!

"N-no! Get off me!" Raine slurred out, still hazy from the magic. "Wh-who's orders? You said you're just following orders? So there's someone else behind this!"

It was then that Raine saw Christie's spell beginning to cast. Being anchored to the ground by her own ice would hopefully keep her from being knocked to the ground with the dryads, but that also meant she had no way to dodge Christie's attack should the witch's aim go awry...

((I wonder if Teraton will be back anytime soon. Things were just about to get 'good', I suspect))

Of the three dryads, only the short one really saw it coming. The tall one was the first to be hit, while the middle one was busy working away on Raine, who was only just coming to her senses.

The tall one was busy casting her spell, murmuring to the plant-life underfoot. She was cut off a second later as Christie's wave of lubricant caught her straight in the chest. As tightly woven as the dryad's clothes seemed to be, they were still just leaves and vines when it came down to it, and the oil had already proven plenty effective at deterring those. So, as the tall dryad fell to the ground, her chest was revealed, pert breasts shining as her upper body was covered in the stuff. Meanwhile, the blast continued to the right, over to Raine and the dryad that had almost fully captured her mind.

The dryad frowned as Raine seemed to come to her senses, at least a little bit. Partly, she was annoyed that Raine was breaking free. Partly, she realized that she'd given a little too much away. "Don'tchu worry about that..." the dryad purred, an edge creeping into her voice that lessened it's alluring impact, "We're not gonna let you get that far in the woods to find out anyw--" The slurred speech became sputtering as Christie's spell caught her straight in the face, over Raine's shoulder. Shocked, she fell back-- one hand still clinging to Raine's robe. As she fell, she dragged half of it down with her, the garment tearing open under the tug. For a moment, Raine had one half of her bra on display; the next moment, Christie's spell continued on it's path to finish the job. Her sorceress companion was between one dryad and the next, and the stream of oil battered Raine in the chest. She was still standing, thanks to her ice, but the other half of her robe was blasted right off. Her bra, now soaked in the stuff, stayed clinging too her now-glistening chest, though the blast of the water had popped her right nipple up over it's cup.

Christie didn't have time to focus on that, though. The short dryad had the cries of her two companions to warn her, and she seemed like easily the most physically adept of the trio. As Christie waved the stream over to hit her, the dryad was off, ducking under the stream and in front of Christie in a flash. Christie may have tried to react defensively, but looking down, she saw new, un-oiled vines coiled around her legs and clutching at the tattered hem of her cloak, products of the tall dryads interrupted chanting. She didn't have time to stare long though- as her spell ended, likely ready to launch another, the short, curvy dryad tackled her to the forest floor. The fall tore her cloak the rest of the way, and the vines around her started to feel and slide over her as she trashed. Meanwhile, the dryad on top of Christie started muttering as she held her hands above Christie, something starting to blossom in her grasp...

Raine was woken up further by the blast and sudden exposure, and could see that she was the only one still on her feet, even if those feet were encased in ice. Two of the dryads looked momentarily disposed, while one of them had her companion underneath her, seeming to be casting some spell. Meanwhile, one of Christie's arms was swiftly bound as her now cloak less form was assaulted by the vines. Her other hand was still free, but it was only a matter of whether or not she or the dryad could get their spell off first...

Christie let out a triumphant "ha!" as the stream of fluid connected, encouraging her to strengthen and continue aiming the stream at her foes. She even had a moment to smirk at the sight of the dryad's lovely far breasts coming into view; a reminder of why she was really here was a good thing for her spirits...

She grunted angrily though when she failed to hit the third one, and cringed when she realized she'd hit her ally. "Sorry!" she cried out sheepishly before the "oof!" of her getting tackled.

Her first instinct was to wrestle with the one on too of her, and it won out. Her cries of exertion continued as she thrashed and fought, realizing one arm was caught up in something. Cursing silently under her breath, she realized she couldn't wiggle out from under this one.

"Get off me, you... You leafy cow!" was all she could think to say as she brought her seldom-used bracer to bear; the leather wrist band's silvery claws slashed out several times at the dryad...

Her blades were made out of highly magical material, some claimed they were mighty artifacts capable of slicing the garb of gods. Christie remembered that, at the very least, they were "arena steel," that is, they were nearly without limit as far as what they could cut. The one little limit was though, one could probably guess, that they wouldn't harm the flesh of humanoids like these. Everything else was fair game -- clothing, vines, and any equipment she may have had on was at risk of being shredded to ribbons.

Thrashing around on the ground though , she must have been quite a sight. Her dress was growing more ragged by the minute, showing off rings of fair skin through the gauzy material. Her cloak as a totally lost now, allowing her wavy silk locks to become quite disheveled. The oil was all over her skin in patches, causing her cleavage to glisten. And of course, her angelic features were reddening in embarrassment and exertion; these mere fey tricksters were getting the better of her, for the moment.