Breac's Guild report - 0.4.26 agf

Blighted Truth

After noticing that Breptor seems to have suddenly developed a higher concentration of Blight than the surrounding area, Breac Sunfist sent six adventurers out to investigate. Breac explained that a few days ago three guild members went to Breptor on an aid mission to help with their limited food supply brought about by the increase in people fleeing the Blight. These three adventurers noted that every building had odd growths and mutations on them but didn’t spot anything serious beyond that.

On the way to the town, Novak, Ridge Rockjaw & Belkian suddenly felt uneasy, as though something, or someone, was watching them. They pushed through and managed to arrive at about 8pm without running into anything deadly.

Standing just outside of the town they saw that there were tents, crates and carts dotted around the outside of the town – likely from the additional travellers seeking shelter from the Blight. The group headed into the town.

Breptor had suddenly turned into a ghost town. There was no sign of life except for the lit torches dotted around. The group tried investigating, Gorr tried searching for tracks or any general signs of life and Belkian used his familiar to search by air. But nothing. It appeared empty as though everyone just evaporated. The only thing that pierced the eerie silence was the soft crackle of the torches around them.

Pushing forward an old man suddenly appeared from behind a building. The group checked him out but only saw a pleasant old man with a cane hobbling around in the dark. The man welcomed them to the town but as the group felt comfortable with him, he attacked throwing them back telekinetically. “So, the guild returns where it’s not welcome. Lady Jade was right.” He growls.

A soft blue glow erupts at the old man’s head, fingers and feet before spreading across his body. As the light progresses over him his skin turned a dark grey and looked cracked and appeared to be flaking away, his back straightens, his eyes glow an eerie yellow light. After the real man appears two blighted ghasts jumped out from the shadows and started towards Novak and Ridge Rockjaw. The group managed to quickly take them out. However, Gorr was bitten by one of the ghasts and contracted the Blight despite having consumed a Potion of Blight Resistance.

The group stumbled across a man hiding in the remnants of a bakery. They learnt that some of the towns people were members of the Rotwood Conclave and turned on the town but there were some who escaped – scattering into the wilds. The group found a chest in the bakery that was alive; when approached 5 sets of eyes broke out between the timber of the chests’ lid and tried to capture a hand inside. Novak used a crowbar to wedge the chest open and the group found a journal.

Flicking through the journal, belonging to someone named Gilden, they learnt that he unknowingly recorded his falling descent to the Blight. Three weeks ago, he describes discolored skin, rotten breath and aching limbs and odd vines that seemed to appear on him. Two weeks ago, he describes how he had trouble eating, his skin showing signs of decay and a soft voice in this head. Eight days ago, he starts writing how he feels an odd compulsion and how he lacks bits of memory.

Suddenly the ground around them starts to shake. The group left the bakery and noticed that their previous fallen enemies had vanished and a large tree had spouted from the ground. The ground around it was torn as though the tree erupted from the dry and unforgiving earth and damaged everything in its path. The tree couldn’t be identified (having particular aspects of multiple species, but had grey sap on it and had grey leaves. The group learnt the hard way that approaching the gigantic tree seemed to dissolve metals – like armor and weapons.

Seeing an odd green light coming from the south side of the town, the group went to investigate and found the light seemed to be coming from a manor house. Gorr bravely strode forward and opened the manor’s doors and walked in with the party right behind him. Standing a few feet in front of them was a woman with flawless skin, long brown hair and purple eyes. She smiled and welcomed them. The group learnt that her name is Sa’bille and a member of the Rotwood Conclave. Looking around they saw at the opposite end of the room a hardened black acorn floating above a pedestal. As the group attacked three additional enemies appeared as their invisibility faded.

The battle was brutal. Four members fell in the battle but three were managed to be healed on the verge of death. Wave of sickening green energy blasted from the acorn during the battle causing different effects on the group; some fell prone from the disgusting energy and vomited, others lost their minds in pain and started walking into AOE effects, Novak experienced an odd version of petrification that stopped his movement.

Assuming that the acorn was what the group were after, Novak threw a net over the floating acorn and dragged it to him. When he was able, Novak took a very injured Belkian and Dimension Doored away. This left four of the group fighting and trying to make an escape. Unfortunately, Gorr fell after gaining the attention of the Blighted Rogue and Barbarian. His body was protected by spells and cantrips before Bjort placed his body in his bag of holding to return him to the guild. The rest of the party managed to flee Breptor and returned to the guild. During their travel back both Novak and Ridge Rockjaw managed to break the spell on the acorn and the group brought it back for Breac to study.

The town has been lost. The Rotwood Conclave have taken control of the town. The group were unable to figure what happened to the town itself, they considered the acorn or perhaps just the work of the Rotwood Conclave, but they were able to report - numerous and deadly members of the Rotwood Conclave, gigantic carnivorous plants and mushrooms, immense damage to the town, massive acidic trees and poisonous unknown flowers.