Gnarled Branches

Start the quest by speaking with Falchos and Tiressia in the northeastern corner of the Swamp Witch’s Hut area.

Engage in dialogue. Choose the options “What happened to the village?”, “A girl from the village married a dryad?”, and “What were you arguing about?” to unlock further dialogue and understand the threat of the Scythe-Tree.

To accept the quest, choose either to demand a reward (“Maybe I could help… depending on what you’re offering” followed by “Fine, I will help you.”) or to help selflessly (the [Lawful Good] option). Alternatively, you can convince Falchos to abandon the Dryad with a [Diplomacy 20] check ([Chaotic Neutral] action), which rewards you with 500 GP.

The quest objective is to defeat the Scythe-Tree, located in the southeastern corner of the area.

The Scythe-Tree is surrounded by a poisonous mist that deals attribute damage. There are three narrow paths through the mist.

Strategy 1: Lure the Scythe-Tree. Take a spellcaster (like Octavia) through a fog-free path until the Scythe-Tree is in sight. Have the spellcaster hit it with a spell like Acid Splash and then retreat. Continue this until the Scythe-Tree is lured out of the mist. Once clear, surround it and defeat it.

Strategy 2: Mitigate Poison. Prepare several Delay Poison or Delay Poison, Communal spells for your party members who will enter the mist. These spells last for hours, allowing your party to enter the mist and engage the Scythe-Tree without suffering poison effects.

When fighting the Scythe-Tree, remember it has Damage Reduction against piercing and bludgeoning attacks, so use slashing weapons. It can also inflict Negative Energy Levels.

Recommended buffs include Blur, Shield of Faith, Delay Poison, and Haste. Casting Slow on the Scythe-Tree at the start of the fight can also be effective.