Desecrated Ground

Iort led the party through the woods over the course of a week until they reached a line carved in the ground. He warned that they should not cross it without permission, before leaving to begin his journey home. Eli tried to summon the elf woman with a message, but there was no response. Instead, Eren climbed to the top of the nearest tree and waited for it to speak to him. It took several days before there was any sign of life.
 
Desseccee was a woman of few words, who welcomed the party into the warded clearing around a very large willow tree. The party joined her on the interconnected platforms in the branches that made up her home, and asked her about the Hermit. She explained that while the other elves abandoned their ancestral home in the woods, she and her mate, Imriel, decided to stay. Unfortunately, Imriel was killed by the Atu, leaving Desseccee alone. The elf offered to let the party stay the night so they could search for signs of the Atu the following day.
 
The next morning, the party followed Desseccee to the site of a previous Atu attack, perhaps an hour south of the willow clearing. Here the party sees a patch of desecrated ground, six or seven feet in diameter. This was the place where Imriel was killed fifty years prior, but the ground is still barren. Imriel's body had been picked clean to the bone, and was only recognizable by her jewelry. The trees in the area had regrown, but they all looked warped and blasted. Desseccee explained that it was a new moon when the attack happened, and that the Atu attacked only about once a year due to the lack of life remaining in the woods. The most recent attack was a week prior, where an entire warren of rabbits outside the protective web of fox paws was killed.
 
The party retreated to the willow tree while Desseccee tried to determine where a fox paw had been pulled from her protective web. She returned at nightfall and pointed to the location on the map. It would take a full day to reach the location along the main road. The party agreed to leave at first light.
 
Desseccee led the party to the place she had shown them on the map, growing more apprehensive as she approached the road. The ground was desecrated here as it had been in the place where Imriel was killed. The trees were growing away as if repulsed and the horses refused to go near. The remains of an old campsite revealed that an entire caravan had been killed here. This particular fox paw ward had been put up by Empress Nikoleta herself.
 
After some investigation, Eren discovered a perfect orb made of green schist, about the size of his palm. Beneath it was hidden a tiny box that shocked anyone who tried to open it. Kyllikki knew that green schist came from the northern mountains, but neither she nor Sah-Ghan had any idea why it would be so unnaturally smooth, or what purpose the orb would serve. When the party made camp that evening, Kyllikki attempted to carve an orb as smooth as the schist, but couldn't even begin to come close.
 
The next morning, Eren revealed to the party that the trees were coded to say that the heart of the wood was dead. No one was quite sure what to make of the message, nor could anyone make any progress in opening the box. With no other leads, the party returned to the willow tree to avoid the brewing storm. Eren snuck up to a higher platform, where he learned that the Atu would attack during the new moon in two days' time, and could be harmed by magical fire. The Atu consumed the heart of the wood fifty years ago. Worried, but undeterred, the party made their preparations.