A towering, humanoid figure at least ten feet tall lumbers out from the trees, its massive body seemingly constructed from gnarled wood and tangled vines. Berries, leaves and twisted branches protrude all over its grotesque form. Two searing orange lights blaze where its eyes should be, fixing us all with a malevolent glare.
"Sweet celestial spirits..." Maggie's shaman friend Skyfeather breathes in a trembling voice, dropping to his knees. His apprentice Lark cowers beside him, eyes wide with primal terror.
The lumbering monstrosity lets out a guttural roar that shakes the trees around us. I clutch Charles desperately, my heart pounding like a hammer against my ribs. "What...what is that thing?!" I force out in a strangled whisper.
"An ancient forest guardian," Skyfeather intones revere
