Sadly Once More Into the Depths

Kaldmont 14 990AC (Cont)
 
It was a difficult decision what to do next. Dram was still unconscious, I was drained to the point of barely being able to walk and Durbin was injured as well. He looked over Dram and dressed up his wounds. I was able to dress up Durbins wounds as well. We also thought that maybe forcing Dram to drink a healing potion could help as well so we were able to get him to swallow it. Durbin offered to heal me with his divine but I declined and suggested he keep any energy he has for now. With that we decided to just stay here for a bit. I had listened out in the hall and it was deadly silent so hopefully we would be safe. After a bit of rest Dram woke up and we slowly made our way back to the stairs and up to the kitchens again.
 
The dwarven women were all armed and a few of them had armor as well. They explained that if any Orcs did get through they would have to “clean up that mess”. Being exhausted we sat at a table and they gave us some food. Not my favorite but I do admit that some of the dwarven food is good. Dram of course wanted to rush off and help the men with Orcs or go notify the Loremaster of what we had found. Durbin didn’t seem in an extreme rush so I just told Dram we were exhausted and needed to rest. I feel like I just explained this exact same situation to him not long ago. Humans and their need to rush everything. Thankfully Rhiannon did not seem to have that trait in abundance.
 
Durbin left to go out and fix Drams' damaged armor, and it seems like he was looking for something to keep him occupied. Dram and I rested quietly and soon the warriors started filtering in from their victory over the orcs. They didn’t know it was only a diversion for their real goal but that’s fine, let them celebrate a well earned victory. Finally Durbin returned with Drams armor. By then the Loremaster and Warchief were both back so Durbin went to speak with them and we followed. They were immediately concerned and sent his warriors to man their normal posts while some of us went down to examine the lowest levels.
 
The dwarves were quite disappointed at the damage done by the goblins. They were also quite surprised by the craftsmanship of the goblin armor. The oddest part was that the dwarves didn’t even know that the library and laboratory was even down here. Apparently the secret door hiding them had been well hidden and not marked like the other. They made several derogatory remarks against magic which I ignored. No sense in getting into that debate here. We explained everything that happened and they were very surprised. I explained that the magic they had used was very odd and did not make sense to me. They were not sure how the goblins had even got here or been able to even find this. I strongly suspected something was guiding them. Maybe guiding this whole valley for a long time.
 
The Loremaster suggested he needed time to go through all the destroyed books and documents to try and piece anything together. I offered my services as well since the dwarves do not know much arcane magic. He accepted the assistance and we got started right away. Any dwarvish I found I passed to him, anything he did not understand he passed to me. I was actually able to get some valuable spells to add to my spell book. The Loremaster was able to piece together this was the room of their “mad king” from several generations ago. Apparently he started out fine and then slowly started going mad and ended up just disappearing. It’s not a thing they discuss frequently or advertise. I suppose I wouldn’t either.
 
After we went through the notes they showed us the way to a known library and tucked away any of the notes they had. Their scouts had found the way the goblins used to get in and were able to close that off so if anyone else knows they will not be able to use it. With that we went back up to the main keep (thank Ilsundal, the weight of what I know is above me is emotionally painful) and decided to rest for a few days before heading out. I wanted to stop at Silvercrest first and let Prince Elladin know what was happening and see if they had any news of other events. The other agreed to this. I wanted to head out sooner but I know Dram and Durbin need time for their wounds to heal in addition to any magic.
 
Kaldmont 17 990AC
 
I spent the last few days working with those dwarves who were musically inclined to try and add some dwarven influence to my ballad I have been working on for the ghost dwarves. Their music is different then elvish of course but the fundamentals are all there. I picked up a few items I should be able to incorporate but a lot of it is foreign to me. I would really like to get this done so it can be shared. My time with the humans and Rhiannon has made me somewhat more dedicated to accomplishing tasks. I can see Rhiannon and myself traveling the known world playing in the courts of the great Lords. First we would need to get out of the Rift though.
 
The dwarves led us out of their tunnel in the closest area to get to Silvercrest which is at the south east corner of the Farolas Hills. We went south to the river and began our journey to Silvercrest. Walking along the river we came across an old man fishing with a spear in the river. He radiated magic and, conveniently, we were very close to the Wizardspire which was a place known not to go into. Durbin approached him and we came cautiously up behind him. He actually was quite excited for guests though he never talked directly to us, always telling his skull “Tilka” to tell us something. He also seemed to point the skull the direction he was looking so he could have been blind.
 
He asked us to build a fire to cook the fish he caught. He also washed himself up in the river that was freezing cold. His clothes were threadbare and he was obviously severely frostbitten. I had an odd sense that he was familiar but also dangerous. I tried to ask him some questions but he always prompted the skull to reply and it was difficult to get any answer from him. Dram built a fire and the man began cooking the fish to share with us. Durbin shared some ale with him and he seemed to really enjoy that. I wasn’t quite sure what to make of this mad man and I believe magic was sustaining his life as his physical ailments should have likely killed him already. Dram leaned in and whispered to me he looked like an old Geoffrey. Of course I immediately saw it after that. Something very odd was going on here. I kept a weary on him throughout our short time together. He was quite chatty and it was at least somewhat pleasant until he told us that we would need to go underground again and would die down there. He did say it cheerfully though.
 
At the end of the meal he thanked us for the company and gave Durbin a small trinket which was magical of course. He then gathered his items and walked off into the snow towards Wizardspire. I of course suggested to Durbin to be careful of that trinket as it was imbued with some type of magic. There was no way we were going to follow him into Wizardspire so we continued to Silvercrest. Dram had a wild theory perhaps this was Geoffrey in different stages of his life living at the same time. There are odd magics but I should hope no one is playing with anything like that again. The last thing we need is another reign of fire.
 
We made it to Silvercrest and everyone was quite happy. The orc king had been tracked down and killed. There was discussion of a joint venture with the dwarves to clear out the burning hills of evil humanoids now that they were leaderless and their numbers weakened. It seemed that things were taking a pleasant turn for once! We met in private with Elladin and Adelle about our meeting. Elladin was interested and called him the “Mad Mage” and that he had never met him, only heard of him before. I explained it was another Geoffrey clone but very old. With that his expression was grim. That brought up the item again that no one really fully trusts Geoffrey but he has given no one real reason to doubt him. We decided it was best to take this information to Valum only as another mage like this was of great concern to the Rift. The Princess assessed the charm and found that there was an arcane “blessing” placed upon it and it seemed to be linked to Durbin. This was very interesting now indeed.
 
We decided to stay the night in Silvercrest which was a relief. It was nice to be home and rest under the open sky again.
 
Kaldmont 18 990AC
 
In the morning we headed for Melinir finally! I couldn’t wait to get back to Rhiannon after everything we had been through so far. We followed the river down and planned to stop in Garlands Rest before completing our journey. Unfortunately we would not be completing that journey. We found Garlands Rest partially destroyed and no one living in sight. Upon some investigation it seems the residents had been infected by the tree curse which seemed to take effect quite quickly. We needed to get this information back to Valum immediately! Unfortunately Melwin hadn’t returned yet so I couldn't send word ahead. We checked all the houses and found a very poor surprise in the last one. A Troll!
 
Durbin knocked on the door and it said we should “come in”. Being that this was the Hunters house and we knew what he sounded like it was an obvious trap. We went around the side of the house which was torn off and Dram and Durbin rushed in. It was too bad I have not mastered fire yet but lightning would work, just not as well as fire. While they kept its attention I shot it with several bolts of lightning eventually catching it on fire. Trolls hate fire so it really started to panic and began running away. Durbin had an ax stuck in it so they both wanted to chase it down but I reminded them I am not very fast and they wouldn’t do much against a troll without my assistance.
 
Upon a bit more investigation we found very odd large tracks at the well. Pulling up a bucket we found the water to be contaminated of course. The water in the smell inlet here connected to the river was not. I should mention we did come across a dog tied up that had been left alone here. Dram suggested we take it with us even going so far as suggesting that Rhiannon would like a dog. I have no problems with dogs of course but I wasn’t sure about this suggestion. Regardless we couldn’t just leave it here so we did take it. The interesting item was that once we found the large odd tracks the dog was intent on following them to the point it was actually pulling me along. Giving in we followed the tracks to see where they led to my disappointment of not getting back to Melinor right away.
 
We followed the tracks out of Garlands Rest along the river until we saw that it crossed. Dram said there was not anywhere we could get across easily so I used my spell to allow them to step on the air as though it was solid and we made our way over. The water was too cold this time of year and I would not want to get wet anyways. I carried the dog over as it was still intent on tracking this down. There was a bit of a problem as this thing was heading to the Grakken Wood. We decided to follow a bit more and if it was deeply in the forest we would head back to Melinir. Along the way we found a pile of the black tar-like substance on the ground. I collected it by merely shaping it like water into a jar Durbin provided. With that we decided we had to head back to Melinir as between Garlands Rest and this we needed to notify others. Unfortunately that was not going to happen, Ilsundal and the other immortals were really leaning on us for something it seems.
 
When we tried to go back after a bit of time Durbin said he couldn’t move anymore. He took off his pack and was fine. Pulling out various items we found the Mad Mages trinket was suddenly very heavy. The dog was also pulling me to continue tracking the item. When Durbin continued on the path into the Grakken Wood the trinket was light again. It seems we didn’t have much of a choice, something very important was down this path so we continued on following the tracks and into the solid line of trees of the Grakken Wood.
 
The wood was eerily silent and old. We lost the tracks so visible in the snow but the dog had no problem tracking the scent of this thing. Eventually the tracks led to a clearing with a large old tree on a small hill and some old shaped stone lying around partially buried. It also had large roots covering up a cluster of these large stones. Upon closer and cautious inspection there were druidic spirals on the stones. We also found them on the large tree at the top of the hill which also seems to be rotting away. Suddenly the prints and trees clicked in my head that this was likely the treant of this forest? I tried to communicate with it several different ways but I was not able to. I was no expert on these matters, the guardian of Gauntlin Forest was always active when I had met it. Durbin took a closer look at the roots that draped down and found them hiding a cave and moved away quite easily. The tracks seemed to lead to the cave. Boy was I a fool, this was just a normal tree!
 
At that time Melwin finally returned! She had a note from Rhiannon saying she loved and missed me and that she was at the Sarcastic Goat playing. I told the others that if this was the end of this quest I was not doing anything again until after the wedding! I was really getting tired of being dragged into adventure after adventure like this. Dram wanted me to send Melwin with word of what was going on. Melwin was no simple carrier pigeon! Besides, I may need her aid if this place is truly going to be dangerous. I refused to send her back so soon to Drams dismay. He can find his own familiar in his own time to run messages if he wants to.
 
We decided to descend into the cave that we have been guided to. As we started to go the dog refused to go and Melwin flew off my shoulder. I consoled her as much as I could and finally persuaded her to nestle up in my cloak hood. It was very difficult going down as the roots were everywhere. I have never seen anything like this. There were plenty of handholds but it was also very uneven. After some descent into the ground (why can’t our adventures be more above ground!) we came to a large opening and almost like a cliff or waterfall of vines that went down even further. This cavern was very large. There was an eerie purple light which seemed to be coming from the roots that had grown down this far. There were large garden beds of various bushes and trees all over and a cabin. If it didn’t feel so evil it could actually have been beautiful.
 
We descended quietly to the ground and found numerous folded up blankets and such at the bottom laying on the roots. Not sure what they are for but they seemed clean. We made our way to the cabin which was fairly close. The main part of the cabin was very nicely made with logs. The add on we were near was very roughly made as if added later. Dram tried to look into some windows we found but could not see anything without shining light in. We made our way around the whole cabin and found a door. Everything was very quiet and there seemed to be no sign of activity here at the moment. We opened the door and found a tool shed full of well maintained and recently used tools. There was also a door on the back to addon that was barred. I watched out the door over the cavern while the others checked the door. When they opened it there was a little bell that rang. Dram told me there were human slaves in there that were fairly well beaten down and of no help. They did keep mentioning a “Gardener” that would be back soon and would kill us. Great.
 
Durbin wanted to set up a trap with some of the sharp tools in here so we left him to it. There was another structure close by that we needed to check on. There was one thing to note that there were no axes in there. Treants are not fond of axes. We made our way along the cavern wall to the other structure. As we got closer it almost seemed like a prison cell. As we crept along the wall I heard a faint voice whisper to me “are you really an elf?” I moved up closer and replied i was, what was she doing here? After some conversation I believe this is the treant spirit. She said the easiest thing was for me to call her Sullen. She pleaded to be let out and that we should leave immediately or the Gardener would kill us, he was very powerful. I asked where she would go if we let her out and she pointed to the large tree in the center and said home. Well she was a wise spirit so Dram helped open up a portion for her to get out. She said we should leave and bring the elven host but I told her something else was binding us here. With that she ran to her home. She was the most beautiful creature, more beauty than any mere mortal being could hold. She also told us of the bugbears and goblins here though the goblins have been gone for many days. I’m guessing the goblins in the lower hold of Hearth Home that are now dead.
 
With that taken care of we met up with Durbin and we skirted around the cavern. There were about a dozen of these large garden beds with many odd shrubs and trees. All of them were affected by the odd light as if it twisted them somehow. It was very disturbing. Again if it wasn’t so evil it could be quite beautiful. We found three doors around the whole cavern and no other outlets that we saw. The last door smelled heavily of bugbear so we decided to start here. It opened into a hallway with a door at the end. We made our way across and the other opened the door where there was a bugbear guarding. Dram and Durbin hit it hard and fast but it managed to make some noise. What happened next was a mess. This was a T intersection, to the left was a door and to the right another intersection. Dram went to the door and I followed with Durbin in the back. Dram said he heard more bugbears on the other side that he could hear. At the same time some bugbears came from behind us I am assuming to check on the guard who had made some noise. I made a large area of poisonous gas on the other side of the door (I didn't know the size of the room so I just made it big) and then turned to back Durbin up. I wasn’t sure of what the bug bears would do so I just turned the stone underneath them to dust to impede their advance. I had to do it twice as the first one wasn’t really deep. One jumped over to get Durbin and it was a fierce battle. I tried to hit in the face with my staff but I am just not strong enough physically to hurt it. So I told Durbin to hold and instead of hitting it I just created water in its face. I had figured Durbin could use the distraction to hit it back in the pit but he punched it instead. In the end we defeated all four of them but it was tiring to myself. Hopefully the ones I poisoned on the other side were taken care of. Every time I do it though I can just see the Princesses disapproving face. Well they are evil and corrupted by this “light” or whatever this entropy source is. We would need to find the source and eradicate it.