*#!%& plants, £5*&%$$ plants everywhere. Evil plants coming out of the "&*!!$ Bane cursed walls!"
Atlender Stormwind,
Battle of the Blight
The tavern regulars gather round as the story teller re-settles comfortably into his usual stool. His status here is obvious, this is the best seat in the crowded inn. Near enough to the bar to allow for patrons to easily pass him a fresh drink. Close to the fire to keep out the Winters chill. A hush falls he finishes an ale and clears his throat. He begins to speak in a husky voice and the audience lean in to listen as he continues his tale...
“Of course at that point they were all about setup ready to leave Leafholm . They were still young remember, as heroes go, but already they were learning. They had heard about the Blight afflicting the scared grove and were all too eager to help. They knew of course that fire was key...”
“Yeah fire! Everyone knows that wat evil fears!” A youth interrupts, quickly blushing as the story teller glares him into silence once more.
“So as I was saying, off they set. And who should be leading them into that benighted forest but Sarrock of the elves! You’ll remember of course the relationship they have with our Elven friend Ildreth Elmspath .” He gives bawdy wink which sets the older patrons chuckling
“Well, as you might imagine they tried hard to dissuade them from taking that Dragons Tooth with them but at our heroes aren’t ready to listen, still young as I said...
Into the Sacred Grove....
So on they went deeper into the woods and soon reach the edge of that there scared grove. One final time those rangers begged them to relinquish that Tooth, but... well, it wouldn't much of a story if they hadn’t take it with ‘em. Now none you bumpkins have ever been into the Quivering Forest t much less into faced the evil that they saw but let paint a picture for you. Think of a tree, overcome with disease, Ash-die back or Oak-rot or some such but a thousand times worse. Like an entire wood is dying, in fact it’s as much swamp than a forest. And its dark and getting hotter... They grow quiet as they creep along”
The story tellers voice drops to a barely audible whisper
“Even that cockily little Gnome, Dustinby, barely speaks, sensing something out there... Watching them. Then all of a sudden... SPLASH!”
The closest listeners flinch back with a gasp.
“A vine whips out, like a tentacle and quick as thought, grasps Sarrock around the waist and before they can react it drags her down into the stagnant water and away further into the swamp. What would heroes do? They rush off after her of course. Coming into a clearing they can see that Dwarf Thorgrim Mineshadow battling a monstrous tree. Well, it didn’t take them long to put that thing down. Torbera goes whump with that magic hammer of hers and you all know what that can do?”
“Whack! Splat!” A couple of young girls giggle, miming killing blows to smash imaginary foes.
“Ain’t that the truth. Well at that point who should step round the from the smouldering ruins of the tree but their lost companion, Atlender ! And quick as you like the Bridge Burners were reunited.”
“I’ve always thought,” The youth again, indifferent to the increasingly hostile stares trying to pin him to his chair.
“That’s a funny name, I mean it’s not like they actually burned any bridges, well except that one time and that was barely even...”
From where the Blight comes
“As I was saying” The story teller visibly wrestles his temper under control.
“The chase wasn’t over yet. Now that Dragon’s Tooth was still leadin them deeper into the swamps. They keep on, knowing there’s no turning back now. And finally after what seems like hours they come up on a massive tree, big as a hill and if anything it’s dark and sicker than anything else they’ve seen. And its surrounded by clusters big man-sized pods, like the biggest you’d ever see. This must be it they centre of the Blight. Even as they huddle together making a plan of attack, they hear a booming voice...
WHO DARES ENTER MY SCARED GROVE? LEAVE NOW MORTALS, YOU HAVE NO BUSINESS HERE!”.
In the shadows cast by the flickering fire the story teller’s arms make dark branches, twig fingers seem to reach into every corner.
“Well our heroes leap into action and try to rush the source of this terrible voice. But there are more of those tree monsters coming out of the swamps. Atlender Stormwind goes toe to root with the nearest, he’s exchanging blows, hacking off chips of bark until all of a sudden the creature seems to absorb him popping him out again in another one of those giant pods!” The audience moans in genuine dismay.
The story teller holds up a finger.
“It was Ildreth Elmspath of course who worked it out, whipping first one arrow and then another at those pods. With each hit they explode spilling pus and revealing bodies, some barely alive. Following this lead they dodged the shambling tree monsters and with each pod destroyed the behemoth in the centre of the grove seems to weaken. Until with a final blow they exposed the creature’s heart itself.”
“Step by fateful step they approached they great fallen tree. And as the as the beat of the heart slows,” The story teller raises his hands, fists clenched.
“Bringing down the Dragon’s Tooth! Piercing the heart and settling the ground to trembling... and rumbling...” He grips a nearby by table gently shaking it and then with a slap of his palms,
“With a roar bursting out of the ground, a fully-grown blue Dragon!” Rising up from his stool to deliver the finale of his tale.
[I]“So that was the first time they saw it!” The youth exclaims once more “
I wonder if they knew then what would happen whether they would have...”
“Now who’s telling this story!?” Roars the story teller.
“One more peep out of you and I’m done for the night!”
The youth turns red as a beet, cowering as he is showered in stale crusts and curses from the rest of the tavern.
Summary
- Buhrell Caah of the Emerald Enclave & Gaelina Highsong of the Woodguard escort the party out of Leafholm and ask they return the Dragon Tooth . The party refuses
- Sarrock meets them with a group of rangers and leads them to the Sacred Grove
- Party re-unites with Atlender Stormwind & meets a Dwarf Beserker Thorgrim Mineshadow
- The party fights the Blight corrupted trees and vines and frees a number of trapped individuals from organic pods
- Brings down a giant corrupted tree they believe is the source, using the Dragon Tooth item to land the killing blow
- A Blue Dragon bursts through the Sacred Grove's ground
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