#odyssey

Skree then adds "Oh, there's a woodwife up ahead, don't fall for her, Symon"

From one spot ahead a sultry feminine voice calls out "I'm totally not a woodwife, out to tempt any man into walking off the silver in exchange for my most ardent embrace." PING goes the Gwydion boon

A derisive snort.

"She's a GWYDION, Pine-elope" Skree calls down

"Da'an DAMMIT" Pine-elope says in a less husky tone

A barely audible snort. Clearly not his “type”.

THe wood wife peeks out, and since the whole deal is shot anyway, puts on a comfy robe over her scanty outfit "Nothing personal, I'm a wood wife, it's what I do." She lights up a cigarette and leans against a tree "I hate this stupid job"

And she takes a smoke. She's hollow, so what's it going to do? Give her lung cancer?

Ironically, the boon has her now telling the truth. She really does hate her 'stupid job'

"No hate, I get it."

"Maybe I'll get a break" She takes a drag but blows the smoke in a different direction from them "Find a magic cookie or three, or a namer who is bored. Shake this whole 'this is your purpose thing'... it's easier when it's just jerks coming through, but now and then I meet a nice guy. Can I have dinner and just talk? NOOO ... stupid purpose. I have to lead them to their doom instead."

"I, uh, only know one Namer, but I can tell him? If I remember. He's kind of... a Lot... so he might help?"

"Seriously? You'd try to get word to one on my behalf? You don't know me. I mean, if not for the Catbird up there, I might have tried to lure your friend to his Doom" She seems surprised "Why would you help me?"

"GRIFFIN, not Catbird" Skree hurumphs "You can spell it different ways but it's not 'catbird'"

She shrugs. "Ain't right to force somebody to do something they don't wanna."

"If you're self-aware enough to resent it, you deserve better."

"Thanks I... hey, I know you might forget," PIne-elope says "And I don't blame folks. Mists are tough to beat, but is there some way I can pay you back for this? Working nightmare like me knows things."

"Know anything about a Story-Stone?"

"Geez, do I. Yeah, you're close" Her voice rings true "I think you're almost there. Just ignore the first 'singing stone' you see , it will have butterflies and shit on it? It's a decoy with a tarbaby like effect. Unless they've changed it up, the second one is the real deal, if one of the hunters for it hasn't beaten it to you. Particularly Kathmur, damn Eshu always find their targets and he has that damned sword"

"Eshu have a way, yeah."

"Well, if he gets there first he'll cut that rock into small pieces and drink it up for a 'all the stories are mine' smoothie" It would appear treating a wood wife kindly has paid off for information "He snubbed me hard. Snubbing me is smart, he didn't have to be a jerk about it"

Skree isn't sure he approves, "Not too much, you'll take the fun out of their quest, Pine-elope"

"Go chase a mouse-roach" She calls up, then takes another drag on her cigarette

"Honestly, everyone seems way more set on destroying this thing."

"Well, yeah," The wood wife says sadly, "Those songs are lore, and lore is knowledge, and knowledge is power... think about it, Kathmur takes it for himself he gets to keep the stories he wants, put the twists on it he likes. Heck, it might even lead to other treasures. Bastards not the nicest of his kith" She explains "Hell, the sword wasn't his either, though it's better he got that one than the other twelve I suppose"

"What does that magic sword do?"

Symon looks curious at “other twelve”

"Oh sorry, I mistpoke, there are twelve total" She takes another drag, "Well, you got to understand, there was this novel..set of novels really, older than you two sweeties," She says "So you probably never read it. Some guy, Saberhagen, got mused hard in the 80s.. wrote this huge ass book about the gods playing games with magic swords, but the swords were so powerful it backfired on the gods, while our heroes, the mortals, had the swords affect their llives. Well, in a 'dreamer affecting the kithain' angle, some nockers and dougals ddecided they just had to try to MAKE those swords themselves, ignoring the entire lesson of the book I would say...naturally, just like in the books, these '2.0' swords got scattered... Kathmur probably went for Shield breaker or the Mind sword or something, what he ended up stealing was Stonecutter. " She ponders "It cuts stone like most blades cut flesh. The 'sword of siege' can wreck a castle. It will powder that stone of lore quick"

Siiiigh.

"So many assholes. Okay."

"You know it, hun," The WOod Wife sounds more like a burnt out server at a diner than a monster who uses seduction to devour now "That doesn't mean the sword is evil mind, just it is in the hands of an asshole"

A fortifying breath and a huff. "Okay. So be prepared for a fight, hope to avoid it."

"More of a race than a fight I'd say. He doesn't want to fight you, I mean, just LOOK at you" She says at the size

A shrug. "Eshu are reckless."

"Good point" She nods

Symon offers before they go on, “maybe you could be renamed into a dream of an Entwife Instead of a wood wife. Their lore says they were lost ages and ages ago and the Ents seek them still. It’s nice to have someone want you for who you really are.”

She blushes "Well, never thought of myself as the long term time but if the Ent were right maybe, a few dates, a long walk... see what clicks? Thank you"

Skree asks "That was it? The man dooming monster, the epic heroes, and no big battle? AWwww" Like the teen ager he is, the griffin is a bit bummed

"Don't taunt da'an, friend."

"Okay okay" Skree says "You need me to hang around for a bit?"

"I can scout ahead or even give you two a lift if isn't cheating"

Symon pales a little. It doesn’t look like the concept of flight excites him

"Ah, nix that, got it" Skree says "Come on guys, you're close to the end and an Eshu might be chopping up the prize"

"Allonzy, then!" Onwards!

They move onward

They make their way and see a clearing ahead... the stone sings, butterflies cover it. This.. is the decoy