Assault on the Temple

Structure

Exposition

10th of Irami’el 1245 AE
The adventurers decided that Wood-Elf town of Wildhorn would be their first stop since it was the closest. In the early morning the group left westwards deep into Vamena Forest. After passing the farms surrounding Averton they saw the forest grow more dense as the redwood trees became larger.  The journey was uneventful until they reached a split in the road. From afar they could here a cry for help and the sound of wolves.

Rising Action

As they came closer they could see a Wood Elf standing atop a large rock with a wolf standing before it. After the initial surprise the wolves changed their attack to the adventurers. During the fight with the wolves a worg appeared who seemed the leader of the pack. The adventurers managed to slay the creatures without to much problems. Alas due lack of fortune Dimble managed to hit the Wood Elf on the rock in the leg with his crossbow making him rather reluctant at first.
The Wood Elf, Morthim Yelvras, was in priest robes that were quite ravaged by his recent ordeal and he told the group that he ran away with his horse from a nearby temple towards Wildhorn. After he was fully healed he asked the group to bring him to Wildhorn since he had an urgent message. The temple of Silvanus was invaded by barbarians. The adventures followed the priest towards his destination.

Wildhorn

After they arrived the adventurers were brought before the elder of the village. When the elder heard what the priest had to say he wanted to get into action as fast as possible and got word out to assemble all hunter out in the forest. He thanked the adventurers for bringing the priest to him and asked them what brought them to Wildhorn. Alas the elder couldn’t give them a reason for why the Kobolds suddenly turned aggressive .They had even traded with them only a few months ago. But the temple that was invaded by barbarians was his first concern and he asked if the adventurers would be willing to help if the Wood Elves in return would aid them with troops if they would go to the Kobold camp. The party agreed and decided to wait till nightfall for the attack on the temple until a couple of the hunters would have returned to Wildhorn.

Climax

Assault at night

Once it was night and everyone was well rested , the adventures assembled and went to see the elder. About fifteen hunters had returned in the short amount of time. The group devised a plan to lure the barbarians out of the temple by making lots of noise while they and the hunters would lay down in ambush. When they arrived at the temple they saw that there were no guards outside so they went along with the plan. The barbarians quickly ran out and were killed by both the hunters and the adventurers. After they initial battle was done the adventurers went deeper into the underground temple.
It seemed many of the barbarians were already killed during the first fight with only few remaining in the temple itself. They found a priest who was captured to tend to the wounds of barbarians. The priest told the adventurers that the head priest had locked himself up deeper in the temple and that the barbarians were looking for a specific magic item although he did not know which one. When they advanced further they came towards the central place of worship with a statue to Silvanus in the middle of the room but with no other signs of the other priests. However after fighting several barbarians they found the remaining captured priests. The adventurers decided that they could use the help of the hunters waiting outside and called them in after which the remaining barbarians were quickly captured.
After the temple was clear the head priest came out of his sanctuary and thanked the adventurers for their service to Silvanus and granted them gold and a sylvan blade as a token of their gratitude. However as they saw the remaining captured barbarians they saw two children among them who were dangerously sick and many others wounded women and children as well. The leader of the tribe said that the reason for the invasion of the temple was to get sacred oil from the temple said to cure all illness.

Resolution

Sukeria festival

11th of Irami’el 1245 AE
After saving the Temple of Silvanus from the barbarians that attacked it, the group was facing a hard choice. The Elves of Wildhorn wanted to sacrifice the leader of the barbarians in the name of Silvanus during the coming festival to avenge the sacrilege. Luckily the group managed to talk the Wood Elves out of such a rash action and even managed to convince them to aid the sick children for a price. Since the barbarians didn’t actually kill anyone the surviving members were allowed to work for the Wildhorn community to repay their debts.
Once they returned to Wildhorn the adventurers saw that the village was preparing for the Sukeria festival that evening. Dwarves were unloading a large amount of ale and beer while the Elves were preparing the tables for the evening. Within all this hassle two Elves came forward who clearly had a different look to them than the others. Once she reached the group the Wood Elf woman revealed herself to be Hesione Valrin a member of the Vanguard together with her subordinate Lelenia Galanodol. After hearing about the troubles in the Vamena region, the Vanguard decided to sent a couple of soldiers to investigate. When they had exchanged information the adventurers learned that in Mirefield, the village closest to the kobolds, the leader wanted to go talk with the kobold leader. The leader of Mirefield, Timeas, claimed he had been doing business with the kobolds for a decade and that the kobolds were no threat. The adventurers decided to check this out and potentially parley with the kobolds. But first they would remain at the Sukeria festival since they would only be able to get the help of Wildhorn after the event.
The festival was something the group had not seen before. During the first part of the festival everyone formed a single file walking into the darkness of Vamena forest with only torches to see the path. Although it was only a short sighting some of the adventurers saw a humanoid shadow in the forest with antlers on his head. The shadow however was nowhere to be seen on a second look with only ravens flying way from where he stood. The second part of the festival was a lot bloodier. Three goats were brought forward to be used as a sacrifice for Silvanus. When the religious part of the festival was over, the group returned to Wildhorn to partake in the feast . Luckily nobody had a hangover the next day as the adventurers continued towards Mirefield accompanied by the two Vanguard.

Parent Plot

Problems in Vamena region

Related Characters

• Finrod Ingoldo

Related Organizations

• Terios