Albertus sees the fallen tree trunk, which appears to have fallen some time previously, as it's crumbling from rot. But peering a little closer, he recognizes that only the mossy bark of the tree had rotted. The inside is still firm wood, exposed by the savage effort of some large clawed beast that has ripped the hard wood apart. The others had shared about their encounter with an owlbear: this may be a sign that one remains in the area.
As the party progresses at a moderate pace through the brush and bracken,
Aanbo's keen eyes note traces of something else's passage: broken ferns here, a bit of scraped moss on a brookside rock there.
Jonathan also notices that something has passed this way before the party. Eventually there is a gap in the trees and a shallow place by the water, in which the monk and rogue spot a few neat tracks going in both directions: the footprints of a small human wearing rope sandals. They agree that it's likely to be the path that Devek took, and the mud was thick enough in this spot that his footprints haven't been completely erased by the drizzle yet, even though the teenager last passed through here days ago. Now knowing what to look for, the party begins to follow these tracks, and the way through the forest becomes a little bit easier.
After crossing the stream, Devek's path diverges from Abella's directions a bit: instead of following the headwaters, it cuts directly north through the trees away from the water's edge. After a bit of debate, the party decides to follow Devek's track for a bit, confident that Theran can easily return them to the water if they lose the path.
But the way is relatively clear, and there are many signs of Devek's passing: occasional footprints still visible beneath the fronds of huge ferns, broken leaves that show his passing. Away from the water, there is no sound other than the clanking of gear and the trudging footfalls of the party. The woods seem muted with the moisture, hanging thick about you, somewhere between a sprinkle and a mist. Soon enough you see a darker shape amidst the trees: the remains of a large building, perhaps five times the height of Ogbar or Kragga, overgrown with foliage: trees and ferns that have rooted on every horizontal surface, tendrils of creeping ivy that has grown up many of the vertical surfaces. You stop to consider the shape while it is still half-obscured by the thick air. There is no sound from the ruin. Devek's tracks continue in a straight line toward it.
