Verdant Light's report from Moorsland - 0.4.12 agf

The Undying Light

The Verdant Light have been driven out of Moorsland by a strange corruption that swept over the land. Athel, one of the leaders of the group, has setup a temporary stronghold in South Elanora for the Verdant Light. Six weeks ago, a scholar for the Verdant Light translated some ancient tomes that spoke of a powerful artefact with purification abilities that can shield against the undead. They refer to the artefact as the Shield of Valiance in honor of St Valiance, the Latern Mother. Athel sent a group to investigate but hasn’t heard back from them in three weeks and is growing concerned. Athel requests that the guild send six brave adventurers to help retrieve the artefact and if possible, save the members of the Verdant Light.

Seven heroes answered Athel’s call and agreed to help. They met with the Verdant Light’s representative, Myran, at the guild who gave them a map of the area filled with potential undead/blighted creatures movements noted from their scouts and a scroll from Athel about the quest. Even though the information on the map, about a possible mummy lord, bone naga and blighted creatures, was about 24 hours old the group decided to trek east instead of using a teleportation circle in the Dead Isle.

Using stealth and pass without a trace strategically the group managed to traverse from the guild to East Elanora without too much difficulty; they did witness a group of dead travellers, their still bodies on the left side of the path, being slowly dragged away by large rotten vines. Novak, the undead member of the group, felt that he was being watched…hunted. And the second she left the safety of the guild, Thea, felt ill/uneasy as though she could feel nature’s warping from the blight around her. Unfortunately, their luck avoiding danger didn’t last. Novak was on guard one night and spotted something hobbling up to the group’s camp. Using the item created by Crossbow, the group’s artificer, Novak released an alarm and woke the group up as the wolf’s piercing howl echoed around the clearing. Two more wolves appeared from the darkness answering the first wolf’s call. The wolves were clearly corrupted by the blight; the wolves had rotten flesh, patchy and discoloured fur and missing bones, the leader’s left eye socket had sunk into its face and its jaw was broken hanging loosely in its fraying skin. During the fight the group were ambushed by a ghast who had been tracking Novak. Even though many members fought without armor, as they’d been sleeping before the attack, they managed to defeat their enemies but unfortunately two were corrupted by the blight; Herb and Crossbow were bitten by the wolves and their teeth bit into their flesh. The group tried a few different methods to heal the blight and eventually were successful in purging it from the group.

The group arrived at the ruins to see an injured woman standing over a prone dwarf and glaring down a cyclops. The cyclops was covered in burns and cuts that were weeping blood. They appeared to be having a stand-off as both fighters were breathing heavily and glaring at the other. Suddenly the cyclops charged forward but the female character threw her hands out and casted fireball. The fire hit the cyclops and it was engulfed in flames. It threw its head back in a silent scream and quickly died. The female figure collapsed to one knee by the prone figure. The group could hear sniffling as they approached the figure. Novak approached with a healer’s kit intent on offering healing but as he got a bit closer the woman spun around. Her eyes were blood-shot, tears still streaming down her face, but her glare was cold. She uses a telekinetic force that throws Novak backwards and into the group.

The group managed to calm her down and she apologises introducing herself as Mirella and the dwarf is Dulrak Madshield both of the Verdant Light. The heroes heal Miraella and try helping the dwarf but with little success. As they do they realise that they cannot loot the cyclops as there wasn’t a body, not even ash was left where it died. Herb investigated and deduced that the cyclops wasn’t real, and they witnessed an illusion. When Herb brings this up with Miraella she looks momentarily confused before she starts laughing and attacked throwing the group back with a telekinetic force. An illusion on her faltered revealing matted white hair, glowing blue eyes, grey gaunt skin and vines that covered her left arm. The group managed to defeat her, Azrael having the final attack, and found some gold, and a damaged wizard’s tome. Looting Miraella Price found her blighted heart. He took it and with a box from Herb, he put it carefully into his backpack. Thea took the Verdant Light emblem pin on Miraella’s armor to give back to Myran.

The group kept working on helping Dulrak Madshield and he managed to recover enough that he came to and could stand on his own. But he was desperate to leave the area even if it meant he had to travel alone through the blight and undead to do so. He thanked the party and left. After healing up the group went inside. The ruins were in very poor condition with stone walls, steps and floor crumbling away before their eyes. Inside the first floor of the ruins, they encountered a blighted druid, but the group managed to easily defeat him before going deeper into the ruins.

On the second floor there were large stone snake statues around the place and odd-looking mushrooms growing out of many surfaces. Upon investigation the group learnt that the odd ones glowing green looked similar to Gas Spores but weren’t sure what they were exactly. As the group fought three blighted humanoids they set off a chain reaction from the mushrooms that filled the entire floor of the ruins in a green hazy mist that not only poisoned the group but corrupted them with blight. After seeing the reaction and investigating the few mushrooms that weren’t destroyed, the group learnt that the mushrooms were corrupted Gas Spores from the blight and the disease they spread was the blight itself.

Moving down to the third floor of the ruins the group saw the artefact in the middle of a massive stone room protected by a blue light and another six stone statues that were encased in blue flames. Standing in the middle of the room was a half-elf druid with light blonde hair and green eyes. He introduced himself as Malix Silvershade of the Rotwood Conclave. He said he’s been looking forward to this meeting for a long time for he wouldn’t have to hide in the shadows anymore. But admitted he was surprised by the groups strength for having gotten this far. He called out Nyra saying it was nice wanting to celebrate her birthday with the Conclave and hopes the blight she contracted will suffice as a present, he asked Novak if he finds working with such closed minded people boring as an undead, and called Azrael a wannabe for trying to take his father’s place in the guild after he died a few weeks ago on a quest for the guild. Malix explained that he knew they are here because of the pathetic Verdant Light wanting to secure the artefact…the so-called Shield of Valiance. But he wouldn’t let them get close he would destroy it first.

He told them that it was fitting for their first encounter to be in a ruin as it may make a fitting tomb but considering that they are all blighted he said it won’t be long before they start seeing things their way. He takes a step forward and with each step his skin became grey and gaunt, his green eyes started glowing eerily, vines appeared at his fingertips and grew up his arms and over his chest, small vines even grew on his face and stuck up through his now grey, whispy hair. He immediately launched two fireballs at the party and Crossbow and Nyra were down straight away. Malix clicked his fingers and six Conclave members dropped their invisibility appearing by the six statues. Malix ordered them to destroy the fire, so they put their hands into the stone snakes and smothered the blue flames with their hands, screaming out as they did so. Once the flames were gone the protection around the artefact vanished and the stone wall opposite the heroes crumbled away to reveal the ruin’s guardian – a Hydra. Its eleven heads looked around at the many intruders. The Hydra moved forward eating two of the nearest Conclave members while another head grabbed a third in its teeth and threw it 50ft down a nearby bottomless pit.

Working as a team the group healed Crossbow and Nyra as Novak strategically placed his skeletal minions in a line between them and the artefact. He used mage hand to throw the artefact to the nearest skeleton, who threw it to the next, but the second skeleton dropped it leaving a member to quickly pick it up. Not wanting to fight people started running for the door. Furious at Malix, Price, Azrael, Crossbow and Nyra try to hold Malix back with fireballs, ranged weapons and thrown weapons so they can make their escape. They ran through the ruin with rubble falling around them thanks to the hydra below them.

On the way back to the guild Nyra, Price, Thea & Herb tried identifying and translating the runes covering the artefact. They didn’t learn much but picked up a few words – summon, blood & death. Upon returning to the guild they convinced the Verdant Light’s representative, Myran, to stay around the guild while the artefact is researched. Myran reluctantly agreed saying that he would leave in a few days with either the artefact or evidence proving that the initial translations were wrong. As the quest was to retrieve the artefact for the Verdant Light, Myran wouldn’t provide any rewards for the guild members until it’s over.