Old Evil and New Paths

I miss you... I miss both of you! I wish you were here, but I know you are safe...
 
I have grown old and weak with time. I am no longer what I was.
 
It's been only a few days, but so much has happened-... and so much has been lost.
 
It started at the Midsummer Festival of Winterhaven.
All was well. People were having fun. Business was good. I even entered the Festival tournament with the youngest of the Wildbridges and Aphelios. They brought Surreal around, and you know how she is always preaching her gods. I believe they had fun. Even when losing, they were laughing.
 
And then, during the midsummer night, it happened. Flaming rocks started falling all around us. Elemental and undead creatures brought upon us fire and death. We did what we could. I fought... We fought... you should've seen them fight.
 
You may not yet know Aphelios, but I hope you meet him eventually. He is physically weak and seems to distrust himself more often than not, but he is a strong lad with strange powers. He kept them at bay. Finnan was also an asset during the fight with his bow and swords. And at last, Surreal brought them down with the power of her circle. But it was not enough. They ravaged Winterhaven. Killed all they could find. No matter how many we killed, there were always more. In the end, they just left us for dead or dying. If only I was stronger...
 
The survivors made it to the river, but every strong arm fell to the creatures. So many have died... Families, friends, so many we knew since birth... Meelo fell protecting his daughter. I would believe he preferred to go that way... in a final strike against fate. There was never stopping that halfling. Finnan kept his swords. He also lost much.
 
The survivors left for Yondar. I didn't go with them. You know me. I'm a calm dwarf. How many times did I stop you from beating everyone up? But rage simmers within me. Whoever had done this would pay. News arrived that the monks were missing from the monastery, so we went there first. Something happened there, unlike what happened to us. Something was summoned and it destroyed them. We found a strange medallion with a spiral. No one dares to put it on until we know what it was. If only I had my old equipment...
 
We went for the druids next. Maybe they knew something that we did not. They were our only lead, but they were farther than we thought. We followed Surreal and Finnan's lead, yet despite their effort, we were ambushed by these shifting monstrosities. It just showed me how weak I had become.
 
We kept going whilst finding traces of a strange infection in the plants and animals. Something was killing them. We came across a dilapidated tower and as soon as we stopped, we were ambushed by mushrooms. They were hundreds of them, and more were coming, I am sure. With the help of a ghost, we hid in the tower, which we came to know that it used to belong in the Feywild, and through a curse, it was brought into the material world. Aphelios seemed bent on taking care of this, and I couldn't just leave him. I grew accustomed to his presence. He seems to have a link with the Feywild.
 
I don't remember much of the second floor, but we found an abomination on the third. We fought! We won! They made me remember us when we fought together... But as soon as they defeated that being, the tower started to crumble, so we ran. Again I fell unconscious. If only I was younger...
 
In a final effort, and upon showing the medallion to the ghost, it remembered that it was the symbol of the elemental evil. We know knew something. But we still needed to find the druids... so we continued.
 
The tracks led us to harmony, a small hamlet made by lumberjacks. At last, some civilization. We stopped and rested for a bit. We found out that unfortunately they had been attacked by a werewolf, and a gnome named Yosston was scratched. Upon conferring, Surreal is sure that she can make a potion that will at least stop some effects of the curse. It's not permanent, but it is a hope for the poor gnome. But alas, the secret lies with the druids yet again. Things happened during the night... and not necessarily for the worse. Finnan now had a connection with a magical drake and Aphelius with a magical snake. It's not unheard of, but it's been a while since I saw anything like this.
 
But we were not to stop, now that we knew that the druids went upriver. A friend of the Hamlet helped us get there. He was also very strong, but he clearly didn't understand where his strength came from. And I agree he was a bit thick sometimes. Yet, when a Manticore attacked us, he was there fighting and spilling blood for us. One last surviving druid was still at the lake, and through her madness, we came to know that they all went insane through the communion with this Lady of the Lake, and started fighting with each other, whilst others went for the lake.
 
This madness also affected Aphelius, who seemed to hate my presence. What he said was not wrong, even if it was an effect of the madness...
 
But worse off was Surreal. Maybe this curse affected druids harder. Still, we had to go. Another hunter from harmony came to help, and through the surviving Druid's magic, we went to the lake... deep into the lake. Through tunnels and flesh-eating Quippers, we went and arrived at a strange temple. And again we met more undead and fought. The ones who came to help were severely hurt and had to leave. We trudged on... and found the druids' corpses, along with more undead creatures. The fight was hectic, and we found new help from survivors under the piles of dead druids. A tall lass, Vala, and what looked like a fae, Kami. Together they fought everything and despite me providing a moment of respite from a flaming skull, Finnan and I were separated from the others through a wall of fire. There was another path, but that also was blocked by the undead... we couldn't leave. And no matter how much I tried, Finnan wouldn't leave... Bless his halfling stubbornness because it saved me. We gathered that these survivors were also affected by the madness and had no way of leaving this place. Whilst mourning Surreal's loss, we found a teleportation circle. Not really having a way out, we went for it...
 
And found the Lady of the Lake, this Nimue, a god from another plane... Many things she said to us that I will not put in writing, but she is no more. And through her final will, we all have survived and managed to get back to Harmony with the recipe for the potion. But now we have a name of this evil, Tharizdun, and by Moradin I shall find him... and when I do, he will answer for everything that happened.
 
I feel my age weighing on me. I don't have strength. All I have is my experience and the power bestowed upon me by Moradin. In a few weeks, I'll be turning 300, but they don't know that. And they all have proved to be strong allies... They all saved me time and time again. Far more strong than what I have become. I don't move as fast, I don't react as fast... If only...
 
We are now heading for Burke in order to know more. Some scholars must have heard of Tharizdun. I hope you and Sindri are well. Don't get angry and keep Sindri out of trouble.
 
Stay strong and may Moradin keep you safe.
 
P.S. I gave a Dwarvish Marking Dagger to Aphelios.