Report: The Bear and the Demon's Fare
General Summary
The world is becoming increasingly dangerous.
The Runidiri have had high tensions with the humans in the area. Debates and often heated arguments that are territorial, spiritual, and cultural in nature frequently occur these days even as many attempt to patch up the relationships. Still this pales in comparison to what I think most would recognize as more pressing matter: The outright attack on the Spirit Beasts.
In order to atone for the destruction of the Great Hawk Spirit Akil'zon, we had returned the "Boar Staff" to the Great Boar Spirit Nago's temple. We asked if we could serve them in any other way, to help continue mending the relationships, and we were informed that the Great Bear Spirit Artos was being attacked by the Demon Malice and its cohorts at Bear Isle. We agreed to help. As luck would have it, others were interested in fighting Malice.
A group was formed consisting of Argren, Stiks, Robin, Ryth, Jene, and myself. We set off to what we determined was a safe place to take a ship to Bear Isle. That place was Han Harbor. Han Harbor is a small town just a little bigger than Gravesend, far less populated than places like Malaster, and certainly poorer than either. The town was not defended well and we ended up heading to a run down temple, which Jene used his connections to allow us to stay the night there. I am not so sure we really needed to ask to be honest, because it seems as though we could have just walked in. The place was filthy, unmaintained, and infested by rats and the like. The place was a bit creepy and ominous. Fortunately for myself I don’t mind creepy and ominous. Gloria, Jene’s Familiar, and I also slept on the ceiling of the place, which was pleasant. No bugs. No Rats.
The next morning we headed down to the docks. When we approached we saw eight elves in a heated argument with the humans. One of whom was to be our farer on this voyage to the island. Some of the elves wore stag masks, while others wore hawk masks. To some surprise, we saw some familiar faces. Longtalon, the greatest warrior of the temple of Akil’Zon and a member of the Moonclaw clan, Tranquil Stone, a powerful Druid from the Treemender clan who we have had many encounters with, and Duskmeadow who we met at the Great Sentinel Tree Temple where Nago resides. Unsurprisingly Duskmeadow was not on his elk today.
The argument was a result of a payment dispute. The Runidiri had negotiated a deal to be transported to Bear Isle by boat, but when word had gotten around to the locals that there was great danger at the island, the prices were adjusted. I don’t blame them. This was a dangerous journey. Still a deal was made. We talked with the Human briefly, and Jene made a new deal. The new price was agreed on, but he would take our group as well, which would likely increase the safety of the trip.
The trip was a bit cramped, but not too uncomfortable. We spoke with some of the Runidiri on the way. They were here to fight the demon too when. Many of their friends and Allies were razed by the forces of Malice. Somewhere in the dialog the realization that the killer of Akil’Zon, Stiks, resided with us. Longtalon was a bit bothered by the situation and walked off. I went to say something to her because I felt like I should.. When I got up to her though, I couldn’t think of anything worth saying and instead mumbled some awkward things.
After talking to Tranquil Stone for a bit, we learned that there were two paths we could take to get where we needed to be. The first was through the forest. Unfortunately, strong enchantments were used to protect the forest from any non-Runidiri trespassers. It was clear this wouldn’t work for us. The second was through the Main Gate. We were given directions to the most likely place to reach the Bear Spirit Artos. Once we got through the main gate, we would head to the temple, take a small passage behind the temple to get to the Sacred Grove, and beyond that would be the sacred healing pool and rebirth chamber where Artos was most likely to be. It was decided the Elves would go through the forest and we would go through the main gate and meet outside the rebirth chamber. The elves seemed confident that Artos could still be alive, as he is perhaps the strongest of the Great Spirits. We were told if we do come in contact with the bear spirit and were afraid of seeming hostile that we should put away our weapons and kneel. It is likely that the demon Malice is here to hunt Artos since Malice has already tried to steal a Khasir before.
When we arrived on shore we immediately noticed elven corpses. They appeared withered...almost mummified. Later I was informed briefly that this appeared to be the result of something known as “Corpse Crawlers”. The main gate was busted, a result of some sort of forced entrance. As some members passed through the gate, giant golems made of stones imbued with magic appeared before us. Around them was a dark energy I had never witnessed before. Black magical chains bound to these golems, once guardians of this place, and now our enemies.
Stiks quickly ran forth and rushed in to attack the first golem with his axe. The golem slammed its mighty fists into the earth below causing pain to each of us and immediately collapsing the main gate into rubble. The rest of us joined in. Sending fire, axes, blades, bees and more their way. I channeled energy into two trees turning them into massive guardians of my own. Among the six of us, Stiks was having the greatest impact for most of the fight, but his tactics were reckless and he took far greater punishment than the rest of us. Undoubtedly part of his plan, but I know that sometimes he doesn’t let on how hard he has pushed himself. By the end Jene’s bonfires were having a great effect on the golems. It was his bonfire that ultimately killed not one, but both of the golems. As we watched them fall, the magic in them dissipated and all that was left was a pile of rocks.
We progressed to an area beyond, heading towards the temple. What we found was a beautiful opening in the forest. The land before our eyes was filled with vibrant exotic trees, flowers, mushrooms, and insects, most of it bioluminescent. In the center was a beautiful natural pool of water. The scenery looked as though it had come straight out of the Feywild. Or at least it would have if not for the corrupting fiends that tarnished the land. In this large area we could see devilish imps with their razor sharp teeth and red draconic-like wings flying around looking for any possible enemy they bring violence to. They were not alone, however. Strange creatures called dretches with greenish wrinkly skin roamed the area as well. Their long pointed ears resembled that of some bats and their snouts were strongly reminiscent of a pig’s, though far more hideous as a result of the jagged teeth that resided below them. None of this compared to the most foul trait of this demonic beast however; its stench.
Jene, evercunning, made an attempt of some sort of mimicry. He positioned himself as the demon Malice himself, recalling his imp minions, one by one. It was not until the fourth demon that something went wrong. Whether a mistake in his performance or a sharper ear, the demon howled and soon our enemies were heading our way.
I could smell the beasts even from a distance, but Stiks had rushed the creatures. Quickly he reached them and found out to a much greater degree how putrid these beings were. Sickened before he could do much, Stiks did his best to stay focused. I sent my trees forward, attempting to place them in a way that would have synergy with Robin’s bees, but misinterpreted her intentions. Still, robin cast a web out over the pool of water ensnaring one of the imps and we quickly defeated the imps in the area. The rest of us rushed in to help Stiks. Ryth threw a powerful fireball hitting many of the dretches, softening them up for everyone.. Separating us from a higher level was a cliff wall and only a small path to make it up otherwise. In a series of events that I will simply describe as “You had to be there to believe it” I managed to get the Treants up the cliff. This was the perfect position for Robin. She cast Web again, this time with great success. We quickly destroyed the tangled creature with great amounts of fire as Stiks continued to fight both the creatures and his urges to vomit. With the enemies cleared of this area, we found 11 more bodies, similar to the ones we found when we arrived. Unfortunately this wasn’t the time to do anything about this. We had to move on.
We entered the temple area.The large area was greatly damaged by previous conflicts. A river ran through the center of the area. In the center was a large collapsed tree that made a pathway to the other side where we needed to be. Unfortunately, we were not alone. First, more dretches and imps resided in this area. This worried me because I was feeling confident that Stiks was not holding up quite as well as he let on, and clearly had an adverse effect while being around the dretches. On the other side of the river was a large incredibly grotesque being. The demon, if a demon at all, stood very tall, its body, although humanoid, was bearing more of its own weight than the average person could handle. Across its foul flesh were impossible obscenities the likes of which I have never seen. Strange eldritch-like fleshy tentacles emerged from its skin with seemingly no rhyme or reason, many of them covered with sharp mangled bones or teeth, akin to suckers of an octopus. Some of them even formed mangled hands or claws at the end of them. Disgusting pustules and/or boils covered the sinister flesh of this entity and to make things more unsettling, unpredictable places on its body housed mouths of jagged teeth in the crevices of its skin. Some of these mouths seemed to devour its own flesh and oozed blood, puss, and perhaps things beyond my imagination. Strange that such a creature could exist. And frightening.
We had no choice though. We pushed forward as the demon called out to us. I summoned a new arcana, and silver wings came forth from me. I began terrorizing the enemies with spells and wing attacks. The treants were a lot of success as well. The fight near Stiks was a bit more intense though, as he continued to be sickened by the smell of the dretches and was taking serious punishment. It was clear that he was struggling but the only way I could help was to destroy as many demons as possible. As the powerful demon slowly approached us, it summoned an immense dark beam which collided into Stiks delivering massive damage. Looking at Stiks I could see that he was bleeding and the rest of the party was busy fighting enemies as well. For perhaps the first time ever, I truly thought we might all die, but we never gave up, and never will.
We continue to finish off the other smaller monsters before focusing on the strongest enemy. Unfortunately, one of my trees was hit by a strange black tendril which cause some damage to the treant, and more importantly, caused it to attack the other treant. This was difficult to watch and I won’t pretend otherwise. I can’t imagine truly what it must be to be betrayed by your own ally like that, so violently. The markings carved upon bark will remain there as long as those trees continue to stand, and likely long after. A reminder of a betrayal, though not intentional, painful all the same. It caught me off focus for a few moments, but eventually I regained my composure. After clearing all enemies but one dretch, this monster began to appear less and less frightening. Argren and Robin, moving like lightning, performed an onslaught of damage from their blades, arrows, and bees. It was a sight to behold. Together we destroyed the demon. It brought great satisfaction and confidence.
If you are with people you care about and you try with everything you have, you can conquer anything.
We had avoided resting, but the large battle has taken a bit of a toll on us. We have decided to rest here for a bit, just to tend to some wounds and regain some energy. The trees are doing great. An asset even I underestimated. Speaking of trees, we approached a tree at the back of the temple. It glowed with a golden light. Among the beautiful face that was in the wood of this tree were at least 50 other carvings, seemingly animals. This journey has been a lot, but I know that no matter what, we can do it. Malice is only the first monster to destroy. One by one will rid this land of its monsters and make it a safe and prosperous place for all to reside. Well, the rest is just about up. I will write more once we have defeated Malice and make it back home.
(The following was written many hours after the quest to defeat Malice. The sheet is stained with some blood and is a bit burnt. The handwriting is more disheveled)
How arrogant does the man who wrote the words before this seem now? Did we ever believe, or did we just want to convince ourselves we were more than we were? Still, an account of these events needs to be recorded for posterity. Begrudgingly, I will attempt to do that.
After resting we continued behind the temple. We entered a grove. To our frustration, the grove was not straightforward. It was enchanted, likely by the elves, to prohibit the easy traversal of outsiders. I might pretend to be of the Runidiri people, but anything I attempted to learn from them was irrelevant. It took us an hour and a half to make it through the woods. As a result of the time we wasted, my magic which animated the trees began to fade. Still the optimistic fool, I had the trees settle in some sort of twisting embrace. I’d imagined a thing I created to have personality.. The reality is thought it would be a pleasant sight for others to see. It made me feel better. Strange I should have those thoughts on such an important mission.
We continued and eventually exited the grove and moved into a colorful forest. Beyond the forest, which admittedly, was vibrant and quite beautiful, was a cave and some shallow water. First we had to get through more dretches and imps. After a little struggle, we were joined by Longtalon in hawk form and Duskmeadow. They helped us finish the last few enemies in the area.
They informed us that only 3 survivors were found in the woods. We had found nothing but headless and otherwise desecrated bodies of the elven people here. They also informed us that the waters here would allow us to rest more quickly, but we all felt very optimistic. We agreed to push forward. We heard terrible noises as we entered. Once we did, we saw only what I had thought of as a nightmare.
Malice stood, massive in size and terrifying. Atop his head were three long horns forming almost an organic and evil crown. His skin appeared blue in this lighting and bones protruded from his shoulders and other various places. His right arm burned with furious flame. Worst of all was the grin on his face. So sinister.. So confident.. Rightfully so.
But the nightmare was not yet over. Here in the rebirth chamber, in the hands of Malice, was a large Khasir, confirming what we didn’t want to know. Artos, the great bear spirit, had been slain. Malice had carved some strange runes on the Khasir. I quickly came up with an idea, but I was too slow. We engaged in combat. The two imps from earlier that Jene had convinced to return to Malice were here. Some of us fought those imps. Before I could act, Malice started his dark ritual. I used a new magic I learned to attempt to steal the Khasir. I succeeded. It was in my hands. I began to flee, in an attempt to save the spirit. As I got away, however, black spectral chains started to tether me to the orb. I could not drop it. Something was happening..
Malice’s arm grew brighter in intensity. The area around him began to burn with great heat. Longtalon attempted to engage in wildshape but kept getting knocked out of it due to the fire. Suddenly necrotic energy began pulsing out of the Khasir. The magic was unstable. The first time caused me considerable pain. I questioned myself. I was too afraid to keep running. I need allies. So I ran back.
Everyone fought so bravely. I watched as my friends were as effective as I had ever seen them, many of them charging the demon head on despite the terrible flames. Robin and Jene provided amazing support both in damage and otherwise. We could see bloody wounds begin to open on his body. Hit after hit he became closer to death.
But the corrupt Khasir continued.. A necrotic blast knocked Robin out and brought me inches from death. It took everything I had to keep standing. Desperate, I ran to Jene and begged him to let me feed on him. He trusted me. I felt strength return, now confident I could contain the Khasir’s corrupting energy. Yet again, I was foolish. Jene channeled energy into all his allies, including myself, but it was not enough. This time it was too much. Necrotic energy overloaded the Khasir. I looked out to my friends, and then I was nothing.
I don’t know when I came to, but the first time I did was brief. I know Jene saved me. Brought me back from death. My second time.. Before I could even grasp what had happened though, I felt arrows impact into my chest as I faded once more. This time, I think I still heard the sounds of combat as I lay there.
Once again I was saved, but until my allies were in the process of retreating. By a miracle everyone survived the ordeal. I wonder if it would have been better if they just left me though. We failed to stop this invasion. We failed to stop Artos from dying. Just like the others. We failed to stop Malice. I should have been smarter. I should have been stronger. I let everyone down. Soon enough Malice will come to Gravesend.
Scribed by Pale Moon
Adventuring Party: Argren Silveraxe, Stiks, Pale Moon, Jene Dark, Robin Foster, Ryth Venali
Adventure Date: 03MAY22
Report Date
03 May 2022
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