3 AM Whispers: The Rooted King’s Gift — First Contact

Friday, December 19th, 2025 — 3:00 AM

The inspection is only hours away, and I was out on the porch, my hands raw from the cold and the barbed wire of the wreath. The Shreveport mist was so thick you couldn't see the Iron Steed in the driveway. Then, the wind didn't just blow—it spoke.

It wasn't a voice. It was a low-frequency vibration that rattled the brass casings in my pockets. I looked out toward the tree line, and that’s when I saw him. The Rooted King—the 100-foot Tree Giant—hadn't moved his base, but he had leaned his massive, crystal-embedded canopy over the clearing.

The Meeting at the Veil

I didn't reach for my rifle. You don't hunt something that was old when the moon fell. I stood there as he "whispered" telepathically, a sound like grinding stones and rustling leaves. He told me he remembered the Tygerian Isles; he remembered the smell of the jungle before the frost.

He didn't come to threaten the cabin. He came to help.

As I watched, his long, vine-like fingers—the ones that usually control the Tree Shadow—began to weave through the cypress trees surrounding my porch. He wasn't just moving branches; he was decorating. Using bioluminescent moss from the Fenwood and crystal shards that fell from his own bark, he began to string "lights" that glow with a cold, blue Zimralan fire.

The Sentient Decor (Horizontal Data)

Action	Giant’s Method	Resulting Decoration	Game Effect
Telepathy	Grinding Stone Vibration	The "Whisper" on the Wind	L4SR (INT) to resist temporary awe/stun.
Manipulation	Plant Control	Living Garlands	Woven vines that pulse with WIZ energy.
Illumination	Crystal Shedding	Zimralan "Ice" Lights	Provides True Sight within 30 feet of the cabin.

The Sentinel’s Approval

The Sight Unseen Spirit dropped down from the roof, his backward hands touching the Giant's descending vines. There was no conflict—only a silent recognition between two Apex predators.

The Giant is gone back into the fog now, but the outside of the cabin looks like something out of a Zimralan dream. The inspectors aren't going to see just a clean house; they’re going to see a cabin that the forest itself decided to protect.

It’s 3 AM. The King has spoken. Now, I finish the brass.

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Product Identity & Legal

The following items are designated Product Identity of Arthur Earl C. Hedges Jr. / The Adventures of Captain Hedges: The world of Zimrala, the Tree Giant Sentinel (The Rooted King), the Fenwood Forest, and the Sight Unseen Spirit. The specific "3 AM Whispers" persona and the Iron Steed. Monsters! Monsters! is a trademark of its respective owner. The statistics provided herein are designated as unofficial playtest material for the Tygerian Isles campaign setting. © 2025 Arthur Earl C. Hedges Jr. All rights reserved.