The Aethervale

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npc

The Root-Speaker

The Root-Speaker
The Root-Speaker
CR 5
Small humanoid (Muridae), Neutral
Reveal Stat Block
Armor Class
13
Hit Points
66 (12d6 + 24)
Speed
25 ft., swim 25 ft.
str
10
+0
dex
16
+3
con
14
+2
int
14
+2
wis
20
+5
cha
12
+1

Saves WIS +8

Skills NATURE +10, PERCEPTION +8, RELIGION +5, SURVIVAL +8

Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 18

Languages Common, Muridae, Fog-Tongue, Sylvan

Traits

Root-Empathy.The Root-Speaker can cast *Speak with Plants* at will. When he does so, he can also speak with the roots of the Mother-Tree regardless of distance.
Voices of the Deep.The Root-Speaker has advantage on saving throws against being charmed or frightened.
Tidal Navigation.The Root-Speaker can accurately predict the tides and weather within the Boughs for the next 24 hours.

Actions

Staff of the Submerged.Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) bludgeoning damage plus 7 (2d6) cold damage.
Command the Currents (Recharge 5-6).The Root-Speaker manipulates the water around him. Each creature in a 20-foot radius that is in the water must make a DC 16 Strength save or be pulled 20 feet toward him and knocked prone.

The Root-Speaker

The Root-Speaker is an enigmatic and solitary Mist-Whisker who has lived within the Whispering Roots for nearly three decades. Having abandoned the structured life of Drift-Haven, he has dedicated himself to understanding the "Low-Vibrations" of the forest—the slow, deep thoughts of the Mother-Tree and the ancient secrets buried in the seabed. His fur is matted with mud and seaweed, and he wears a necklace made of polished root-segments and sea-shells.

The Root-Speaker is a figure of both respect and suspicion among the Muridae. While many sailors consult him for weather predictions or to find lost shipwrecks, others believe he has been driven mad by the constant "whispering" of the Singing Moss. He claims that he can hear the heartbeat of every tree in the archipelago and that he can feel the pain of the forest whenever a branch is broken.

He rarely speaks in anything other than the Fog-Tongue and often communicates in riddles or through the rhythmic clicking of his staff against the mangrove roots.

Secret Motivation: The Root-Speaker has discovered a massive, ancient "Aether-Sink" on the ocean floor that is slowly draining the energy from the Mother-Tree’s lower roots. He believes this sink is of pre-flood origin and is trying to find a way to seal it before the forest begins to rot from below.

Adventure Hook: The Root-Speaker has sent a message to High Shaman Kaelis claiming that the "Roots are screaming." He needs a group of outsiders who can breathe underwater to descend into The Deep-Dive Grotto and investigate a series of strange, metallic "plugs" that have been hammered into the tree’s primary roots.