"Finding the Cure" - Main Quest
General Summary
This questline was split into three sessions, initially it was to accommodate a player that couldn't make it. Part I, the first session was two new players and a bulk of what could be considered the main party; Part II, the second session was a player that couldn't make it, and giving other players a chance to try another character they made for a session should they choose; Part III, the final session was a huge showdown with both groups and others coming together. The final result was great, we hope you enjoy.
Session 13 - Intro and Main Quest
This party consisted of April, Squeeks, Elric, Gerie, and Goodwill and accounts for the main party as well as Squeek's split from the party. It takes place over two days, and leads to the Frostshear Pass' makeshift quarantine outpost to be made thanks to reaching out for help.
The party split into various directions before that fateful night, some looking for information, some looking to get back to normalcy, or some even looking to be of use as this blackened earth began to spread from what appeared to be The Feylight Forest... April, Squeeks, and Goodwill - Hideo included, had all become quite involved in the repair and recession of the plague, and on the blight that it had apparently become. The night was like any other, live music, research, and plans for dealing with the Verdant Corruption at the new home base The Auburn Crustacean. On this night, they met a Gnome by the name of Gerie Gunthries, and his exasperation caught the parties attention, even that of Elric, practicing his etchings at one of the further tables. Gerie was racing on about this large force of Gnolls that had begun travelling many miles from their home in the far northern Weeping Pine Woods. Him and his kobold and faerie dragon friend had recently left the same woods because of the earth beginning to turn a seething black... but all three were shocked to see the blight in The Feylight as well... He is unsure what the bigger threat is but says that either way, The Feylight is in danger. Gerie did not know it would be April and the others, but at the mention of the faerie dragon, April asked its name. Gerie's acknowledgement of the dragons name as Jivew immediately gains April's trust and she swiftly begins to gather her supplies. Squeeks is always one to travel light and with Goodwill in tow, and Elric slowly getting up and letting Fenix know he is leaving. Elric pulls April aside as she grabs her things and offers her a thought, reminding her that he is an Illuminator of Gleamgael. So as Squeeks, Goodwill, and Gerie all travel North towards Haven Cross and The Feylight Forest, April and Elric race to Gleamgael and call upon Nahder Dawnleaf, the second in command of the local guild of heroes and a mentor of Elric to help them convince the leader of The Illuminators, a powerful arcana cleric as well as Nahder's son known as Erdan Dawnleaf, that this event is worthy of their elite protection. The Illuminators have a habit of only getting involved when tipping points have been passed, claiming it would be an abuse of power to "avenge every conflict with Percepia's divine light", and only interceding when death is all but guaranteed for those without their aid. The three were able to convince The Illuminator's leader, though, so, with his holy arcane gifts, Erdan Dawnleaf teleported April, Elric, and some of his own compatriots back to The Drunken Horse Inn in Haven Cross, the others having arrived the day earlier. With everyone back together, April and the others leave the command of Haven Cross to Samuel and The Leader of The Illuminators to sort out, and race off into The Feylight. Nahder rallies the rest of The Illuminators and they begin their approach to deal with the Gnoll threat and gain aid for the Verdant Corruption that was spreading from at least two different places on the island now.
While the leaders of the various forces talked inside, an onslaught of darkened beasts had begun attacking the walls of Haven Cross' fort. Rowan Ashefall, another adventurer of Haven Island, stood alone against them until the party saw them on their approach to the North. She had lived and hunted in the forest her whole life. She was a Wood Elf, and was alone in the forest with her father, the two learning from the land and teaching each other survival. She was warm, and was eager to aid the party after they helped her dispatch the blighted boars. A stag, blackened and tall can be seen, outlined in a purple glimmer against the outskirts of the woods, wispy and red it's eyes glow with the coals of hatred and anger. Several other red glows emanate from the spaces within the distant trees, lingering, hundreds of eyes, they all fade at once, except the stag, who then disappears into the forest. The party, scared out of their wits, continues on into the once lush forest of The Feylight which was now beset with awful growths, blackened, bulbous, and hardened, almost as if it was scabbed over along the earth and above it. Tangled walls of these grotesque veins of blight were spread abound and though it may have once been a forest, these walls turned the light into a darkened maze. Rowan races after the Stag, reasons her own, but she helps the party get deep enough to be lost. They begin to wander and eventually find large glasslike bulbs with enchanting purple light luring creatures close, the party recognizes the actual flowers within a second glasslike capsule inside. Gerie is lifted and reaches his hand into the space between the glass and the flower capsule and both sides of the glass shatter. There are several other bulbs throughout the darkened passageways. Their ominous hue distracting the party for some time as Gerie comes up with a new idea and, as an Arcane Trickster uses his mage hand to reach into the bulbs, pulling several from their glass prison with ease, some others do shatter though. Wandering deeper, and around other maze-like bramble, the party encounters a group of corrupted creatures, trees, boars, wolves, and hidden in the dark outskirts and travelling between the trees - Dryads. Normally, all of these creatures and especially the Dryads are one with nature, but this corruption seeped into their psyche as well as the boars, wolves, and other corrupted plants that held the party at bay. The Dryads slipped around and a dominating presence began to set root into Goodwill's mind. His wisdom too low to fight off the Dryads charm, twisted into domination. He turns on the party, and the conflict grows - Squeeks surmises that the Dryad were responsible and focused her magic to end their domination over Goodwill. Eventually, the five of them reach the center of the forest. A huge clearing and a large tree standing in it's center which seems to be covered in a familiar purple color. This ancient tree towers over all, a majestic Heartwood tree through and through, though... twisted into an oil well of purple haze. It stands much taller than the walls that create the makeshift maze and a similar strange feeling that had overcome Goodwill begins to overcome the group, much stronger than before. A sinister feeling of domination and the sight of that tree is the last that the party can recall before slipping into it's cold embrace. A mind control that only Squeeks was able to withstand. She begins running away from the entity that approached afterwards, not getting a good look, but escaping into the forest to come up with a plan.
Session 14 - Intro and Branch Quest
This party consisted of Xanbjorn, as well as a traveling female Tabaxi bard (NPC) and a human male rogue (NPC) whose names were never shared with Xanbjorn, but helped him to cross through the northern checkpoint, with an enthralling performance to the guards. None were slain, guards or otherwise. They later aid other NPC's before reaching the center of the forest.
As chance, or fate perhaps, would have it, a ship had docked at the port of Lun'ir Akaas, a small elven city along the Lunar Coast, several days prior. It held a passenger from the West, from the distant Dragon Island of Aramore. An intimidating Copper Dragonborn Barbarian whose hermitage nature lead them to a great discovery. A ring that allowed them to communicate with a prophet of Bahamut Himself! Xanbjorn was the name they went by, and upon wearing the ring, and answering some questions to test their nature, the prophet told Xanbjorn to head East to Haven Island, and to go into Haven Cross to find The Platinum Warlock. They made some inquiries in town to discover where to head and then made great haste through the bonechilling cold of The Valley of The Solstice. After a days journey they made camp just within the Frostshear Pass, some ways off the road, but not out of sight - confidant in their ability to defend themselves. The prophet and Xanbjorn spoke throughout their journey on the ship, asking the usual questions a chosen hero would ask, and the prophet being as vague as we would come to expect them to be; however, that night, the prophet spoke of their feelings on fate. They said that they didn't think that it was something that truly existed and that those who are chosen are sometimes just in the right place at the right time, but that it didn't discount the actions one could still accomplish, finishing their introspective with, "All mortals need is a little bit of purpose, then they can do anything." Xanbjorn rested well, after that, and, after the long journey through the frozen tundra. The next morning, a couple of travelers were in their camp, skinny, disheveled and sitting around the dying fire in the early hours of the day. The cold winds were blowing gently, but still icy to the touch. Xanbjorn did not react as they climbed out of their tent but as their full stature came to be seen by the female Tabaxi and the male Human... there was a visible fear in their eyes. Xanbjorn smiled though, their scaly grin putting The Two at an anxious ease. Xanbjorn put a single finger up to indicate that they wait and walked over to a nearby tree and untied a rope, allowing a sack to drop from the branch it was hanging over. They looked at the travelers and said in a deep-voiced, rough common tongue, "For bears to not eat, please have some." and took what smoked meats they needed for the next few days journey and began to pack up their camp. The travelers dug in, clearly not having any real meals in a few days, this not fitting the bill, but filling their bellies at least. Xanbjorn had finished packing up by the time they had eaten most of the sack's contents - 4 days worth of food, and began to start their trek East once more. The Two stopped Xanbjorn, telling them about how there was a group of soldiers that were holding up the only entryway to the East for many miles. They had found out a couple days earlier, being unable to walk through the blizzard that was raging outside of the pass, just before Xanbjorn's own trek through the tundra. They had been coming up with a plan on how to get past the soldiers, but didn't feel they had the energy to succeed (or the muscle to protect them if they failed), and offered Xanbjorn aid in passing the soldiers. Xanbjorn conferred with the prophet who saw no reason to turn away help as long as no one gets killed.
The Two still needed rest though, and asked if they could wait a day to recuperate. Xanbjorn reluctantly agreed, made a fire, and decided to scout atop the cliffs while The Two rested in their tent - big enough for The Two with Xanbjorn's immense size. Xanbjorn got a great look over the top of the cliffside and saw the small regiment of soldiers, heavily armored, and only a handful. They then hunted dinner, cleaning it before bringing it back, yet The Two were still sleeping. The rest of the afternoon and early evening went by until all three were awake, well fed, and ready to venture East. The Two sharing their plan finally: the Tabaxi was a fledgling bard, and thought they might be able to charm the soldiers with a performance. As all three, lead by Xanbjorn, walked towards the location where Xanbjorn had seen the soldiers, the Human asks them why they haven't asked for their names yet. Xanbjorn is silent for a bit and the Human begins to ask again before Xanbjorn interrupts saying, "Names do not matter, words do not matter, only actions. I saw fear, in you, but you see me now - no names needed." Xanbjorn nods slightly after saying that over their shoulder back at The Two. The soldiers come into view and The Two follow Xanbjorn's lead as they stop and crouch behind a boulder that rests within the slightly wooded area. After seeing only three soldiers, The Two begin to make their way past Xanbjorn who is looking out for the other two soldiers but is unable to see them despite the moon providing a dim glow through the trees. Xanbjorn sneaks behind The Two, waiting for the Tabaxi to begin their song - a magical tune imbued with feywild magic. Unfortunately, the magic was only able to enthrall two of the three men, and the third began to charge at the Tabaxi. The Tabaxi froze - the magic had never worked before! Luckily, just outside of the light of the torch fire, the Human and Xanbjorn were waiting, and so, the Human cast a Sleep spell and focused it on the person who was not enthralled by the Glamour magic. The soldier fell face first, asleep, and the Tabaxi looked back at the Human mouthing 'Thank You' and then, panicking, commands the others who are enthralled to 'dogpile' on top of him. The three race down the path, never seeing the final two soldiers, and make it to the edge of The Feylight Forest on the eve that the darkened growths had turned the forest into it's maze-like self. Xanbjorn tensed, The Two stopped alongside them, the violet lights glowing just beyond.
There was no way to the South from where they stood, the growths blocked the road just North of Jolly Momo's Inn and Spa, so the only way through was, well, through. So, the three of them walked in, and upon seeing the glowing bulbs the Human saw an opportunity - seeing the flowers within and remembering rumors of 'the plague in the North', the rare flowers that looked like purple dresses... he could not resist his roguish nature. He desired the flowers to sell or exploit and, to all others, a floating glass capsule could be seen wafting lightly though the air into the Human's satchel. The Tabaxi knew about the Human's invisible mage hand and was not surprised, so a few more bulbs were grabbed and then the Human began to feel a little woozy. The Tabaxi tended to the Human with a minor restoration spell, and The Two turn tail and wish Xanbojrn the best of luck, saying that they are going to try their luck in Portsmouth, just to the North. So curious the natures of Tabaxis and Humans. Xanbjorn begins venturing further in now, traveling at a quickened pace. This being Xanbjorn's first hearing of the plague, they can't help but feel fear although courage carries forth. And, with the loss of their newfound friends prompting them to be less careful, they move at their full potential, and the wings on their back unfurl. Xanbjorn dashes just above the ground darting through the forest and even over the walls of the growths. They stop for a moment to catch their breath, wings at the side, but not completely furled, and they hear a frightening howl that is coming from something that is... not a wolf. Xanbjorn puts their wings away and races towards the howl, towards the resounding clash of tooth and fang and maw against steel. A sound that they both reveled and despised. The rage making their spirit strong, but their totem of the bear keeping them safe. Turning a final corner, Great sword at the ready, lashed with leather from previous kills. The stench of blood forever infused into the handle of this giant weapon from the many conflicts on Aramore against the Chromatic dragon's forces. The weapon had as much of a story as Xanbjorn, and as they carried it's heft they saw the monstrosities that had come from the far north Weeping Pine Woods, trapped within the maze with unknown allies. A pack of Gnolls, Rowan Ashefall, Nathaniel Haven, and Samuel Wyrmshadow heard Xanbjorn release the resistant rage of the great bears of yore. They saw another entity racing into combat, a pearlescent and glorious mane and coat blurring past - A Unicorn, who is later introduced as Sterling. With these two new ferocious allies, the tide of battle began to turn. The berserker like rage of the pack of Gnolls amassed behind the command of a far more ferocious pack leader. So, Sterling and Xanbjorn focused their attacks on the creature until it's final breath at the expense of Sterling's twisted horn piercing it's chest. Immediately, hearing the dying cry of their leader, the other Gnolls went into a primal fury and focused all of their combined might unto Sterling. The creature was assaulted by tooth and claw, and slashed and all seemed lost for Sterling - even after a mystical wave of healing light washed over all allies, resonating from Sterling. Nathaniel, Samuel, Rowan, and Xanbjorn all begun to carve down the Gnolls, free to move about as they pleased. Nathaniel's Eladrin magic had shifted to Spring since they were last seen, some Eladrin able to focus the nature magic to shift. He touches Samuel and teleports him forward 30 feet while dashing towards the creatures - their years of shared combat showing clearly, Rowan of course begins to let loose arrows down upon the Gnolls huddling upon and swarming over Sterling and Samuel closes the rest of the distance emerging from his teleportation with a rapier and a longsword drawn. Xanbjorn and the others pierce and rend the flesh from the pack until the final few flee off into the woods and Sterling was saved! Nathaniel asks to speak with Sterling a moment and offers some healing via poultices or herb wraps. The two of them pull aside and only Nathaniel's side of the conversation can be heard since Sterling speaks directly into his mind. They turn back to the group who had been wiping up the blood of their latest kills and they all begin to devise a plan together. Nathaniel introduces Sterling who then begins speaking directly into each of their minds... except for Xanbjorn's. Always missing Sterling's part of the conversation, Xanbjorn remains silent, flustered, and attempts to piece together the plan. Thankfully, Nathaniel summarizes things in the end, and thanks Xanbjorn for helping in battle, despite not helping with the planning. The group leaves into the woods, accompanied by Sterling, and eventually reach the center of the forest, where the Heartwood tree lies, and the atmosphere now flows thick with the purple haze. The group begins to feel the overwhelming sense of dread as tendrils of control begin to travel up their spines. A tall, shadowy figure begins to emerge from the Heartwood tree, another corrupted Dryad but... much, much larger. A distorted, raspy voice calls out, and each word seeming to almost whisper from the other trees around the group, "I am Queen Nerine, and you sit upon my throne of Order. Submission is Inevitable."
Session 15 - Combo Quest
With many objectives and many NPC's involved in the fray this final part splits the various groups after discovering the source of the blight in The Feylight Forest. They split and return after each completing objectives to weaken and finally destroy the corrupted Dyrad Queen, ancient, beautiful, and powerful. The second group now contains Xanbjorn, Sterling, Nathaniel, Samuel, and Rowan.
The dark twisting tendrils of control had set root in each of their minds. The power coming from the source, from where it was strongest, from Queen Nerine - the Dryad Queen of The Feylight Forest for... well, as long as any historian can account for - perhaps it was merely a title that was passed on, but whatever the name meant, she was powerful. Thirteen distinct pathways deposited into this blackened grove, the equally scabbed-over walls funneling all manner of folks through the diabolical maze she had made. Once the full effect of the control was set, a connection to all that she had taken already could be felt. Their collective dread and eventual numbness at her branchlike hands lulls Xanbjorn and the group they are with into their Stockholm-syndromed bliss... Angry at the interference of the adventurers in their forest, she makes Xanbjorn and the others linger. And from several of the 13 paths that veer off into the purple hues and darkness therein comes April, Goodwill, Elric, Gerie, Orla The Ranger, and Rizzlenordext The Wild, each alone, walking with purpose. The sound of their collective steps coming from several directions are lost on the charmed party though and, opposite of Xanbjorn's group, they gather. Having all of the meddlers in the forest that she can sense finally at hand, she speaks. The distorted sound carries into the wind and through the trees once more, "You will kill each other, and the winner gets to leave with their life, and... their mind." As the words faded and melded into their command and the haze wafted deep into the woods, drifting slowly, everyone drew their weapons and the two groups charged forward, clashing at Nerine's roots. Spells, blades, arrows, and axes all rang in the sounds of mortal combat, and in the amass of twisted minds, no one was able to break free. Once the haze of purple had finally dissipated, Sterling's control was severed, and in that moment, he looked up at the Queen and heard her crying. A distorted, sobbing, and he quickly realized, it was from the curse, the corruption that had seeped deep into her roots. She could feel the pain of those who fought in her proximity. She was a raw nerve, sensitive to every pressure, but was making it happen. Sterling's pain echoed with his longtime friend as a fellow protector of her lands. He knew he had to stop this. His light, internal and lawful, exuded with a brilliant golden sheen and bathed over those he had been travelling with, Nathaniel, Rowan, Samuel, and Xanbjorn all break free of their control, stunned in combat for only a round, but the others being blinded from the light all the same. They all come to and, all but Xanbjorn, hear Sterling speak in their minds, "Help me with the Queen, and hold them back!" Nathaniel and Samuel have met enough of the party to know to pull their punches, Xanbjorn, had not. So, as Sterling raced off towards Nerine, aided by Rowan's arrows, Nathaniel and Samuel aimed to spend their time stopping the Dragonborn's fury from slaying their longtime friends. Xanbjorn was met by Rizzlenordext The Wild, and Elric raced off, with Gerie riding his Steel Defender Wolf, towards Sterling, Orla dashes towards Rowan, and while Samuel holds Goodwill at bay, Nathaniel does the same with April. When two barbarians such as Xanbjorn and Rizzlenordext meet, it is not unlike an immovable object meeting an unstoppable force and so, as the totemic bear's rage comes forth, so too does the berserker-like rage of the Hill Dwarf. The two of them engage in a brutal assault of great axe and great sword. The spirit of the bear held back the hidden fury of the kind-hearted dwarf as Samuel and Nathaniel each took a battery of spells from April and Goodwill, closing the distance and attempting to merely disable or knock their friends out. Rowan turned towards Orla, whose shortbow was still a threat - the two danced for a few rounds, spinning a circle with twinned shots of arrows spiraling out until either's quivers were empty. Then they pulled out their shortswords. Orla was a fan of such combat, as her small stature often helped in disabling foes, though Rowan was keen enough to reflect Orla's quickened blows, a user of dual-shortswords - Orla was outmatched, Sterling was too far, and Rowan was getting tired. They had been in the forest awhile and were starting to feel it's effects. Orla continued to come at Rowan, Rowan continued to dodge, but they finally found an opening. Orla was struck! After that, Orla began missing her blows and failed to feign Rowan's. Rowan continued her flurry, fading and fearing for her life, the two fought, further from the others, until Orla lied, slain. Rowan falling to her knees next to the Far Travelling Gnome's body. Having raced off, Sterling is met by the Steel Wolf, Gerie, and Elric. Sterling is grand though, and his powerful legs allow him to merely leap over them, sailing over them and towards Queen Nerine. She is nestled, body partially corporealized outside of the Heartwood Tree some 60ft up, so Sterling dashes and jumps from limb to limb of her tree, racing evermore towards his friend in an attempt to rid her body of this curse! His hooves are not meant for this, the tree's branches are scabbed over in various places by the same toxic shell that has covered The Feylight and Sterling's hooves slip even easier upon that. Still, he swiftly reaches her position only for her to move into the tree and ignore his telepathic pleas. She appears further up launching harsh spells and harsher words yet he dashes forth once more. When Sterling reaches Nerine this time around he is able to speak with her and sees the battle raging below. He attempts to dissuade her from going forward any longer, sure that his longtime friend was still inside - somewhere... He saw it, the last of it, come out for a moment - her eyes clearing from their purple-black to an incandescent green. Nerine was crying, sobbing with every word she spoke - she told Sterling about the man that had come to her and given her this, that she asked for it, that she wanted vengeance. She begged for him to kill her. To drive his horn straight through her heart before she has to feel anymore of their suffering. Before he has a chance to answer, her eyes change back, the darkened hue glowing ominously. She attempts to grapple him with large vine-like tendrils that protrude from her, but Sterling casts featherfall, and sails back down to the ground, his descent landing him centered upon the others. "It's too late for her." He thinks to himself, before casting his other Mass Restoration, ridding April and the others of their mind control afflictions - all but Orla. As the healing light washes over the party below, Queen Nerine retreats into her tree - capable of sharing the space of any tree in the forest with her magic. The battle done, the party all gathered, Rowan carrying Orla's body over, and they stopped and sat in an eerie silence in the dreary moonlight that danced through the clouds overhead with their shackles of the mind broken. What do they do now?
Several minutes passed, and the silence was deafening. April stood first. Weakly telling the others that it was not safe to stay here, sure that Queen Nerine could return at any moment. Everyone slowly gets to their feet, but there is no drive to continue. Xanbjorn offers to carry Orla's body as they shuffle towards the Southernmost path of the 13 that surrounded the grove. The rain quickly turned from a light drizzle to a heavy downpour and by the time they had crossed the blackened grove, the water only served to weight their spirits down even more. As they approach the mouth of the path, a familiar warbling noise is heard behind them, and the dim light of the moon barely makes out the shimmer of several others teleporting into the grove. Erdan walks forth with Squeeks, Hideo, Faya, Ashera, and an Illuminator LT. "We were nearly ready and saw the flash of light over the trees - I found some friends of yours who were at Haven Cross that asked to join." It seems that 'Hope is never dead when the Light's Fire is nearby' - as is a saying in the new age Illuminators. The power of one leader can turn the tides of even the worst of odds., and, in the aftermath of the dread they had just felt, Nathaniel felt inspired. The shining armor of Erdan creating a mirror as he pulls in close to introduce himself - prompting Nathaniel to see himself and sparking the start of a new man. One unafraid of his fathers shadow. Erdan, April and the others, in the veritable gang of adventurers that they were, travelled south a ways until they could make up a large camp. Spells and wards were placed around on the outskirts, restoration and healing magic was offered, and with both Hideo and Elric providing a Sentry Rest - the party was able to relax, sleep awhile, and begin to prepare. The morning came, and Erdan had since created a Teleport Circle and attuned it to Gleamgael's own, the runework was impressive and Elric even took some notes. How could a Half-Elf at the age of 26, lead a battalion of fearsome holy knights, and still be able to perform such magic? Well, from his early youth, Nahder trained and educated Erdan, his son, in Gleamgael. Sun Elf privilege and superiority wouldn't be called such without an element of truth, but Nahder's love of a human helped him to let go of some of those complexes, and with the birth of Erdan... he knew he was in the right place. Erdan became an adventurer of sorts at the young age of 16 to go on a 'holy quest of legacy' and returned after 4 years alone in the various wilds of Haven Island. For the last 5 years he has led the troops of the guild and instituted renewed Oaths of Devotion and Tenets that the holy warriors must follow. After the morning's lull begins to come into focus, the party gathers at Erdan's request in a massive battle-tent that had cropped up with the help of some additional troops that had teleported in from the circle. Erdan speaks first, and asks folks to share any and all information they have about the conflict at hand - stating that The Illuminators that had marched to Haven Cross early last night quelled enough of the Gnoll migration before it reached The Alabaster Shore in force. Squeeks shared the information she had given to Erdan to bequeath his support in the first place. She had watched April and the other's, after their minds were taken. She flew overhead and watched more than one person who had been under Nerine's control stop to tend to the flowers that were encapsulated in the purple hued glass-like chrysalises. She saw some folks cut their hands and touch the glass, she saw some folks simply stand there... but in the end, some of the flowers had changed, they became putrid and rotten smelling and the naturally forming glass would shatter, releasing the noxious gas outward. A body could be seen in front of these blackened nodes from time to time, withered, the flower had turned into a corruption node. She had found the location where she thinks the central node is, but can't reach it alone. Nathaniel shares about it's spread to the West, and Xanbjorn to the North. The rest of the party members systematically share all of the information they have gathered in the last 48 hours and a plan begins to develop - they would split up down each of the 13 paths and search and destroy these nodes because; at the best, they heighten Nerine's influence, and at the worst, they keep her alive. Erdan coordinates the various adventurers and his own units to split up, unsure of how many nodes, but certain there are many. They split up as such: 1. April, Xanbjorn, Ashera. Finally being united with The Platinum Warlock, Xanbjorn wastes no time ensuring that they stay right beside the Half-Drow Elf. The mysterious Moon Elf Ashera joins them and the three end up clearing 4 nodes of corruption with Ashera's usual precision and... intuition guiding their hands. After they had some issues with the first node, Xanbjorn's resistance to acid stopping a portion of the noxious gasses effects but not it's paralytic effect, the three of them quickly race back and around the outskirts of the blackened grove down another corridor - as planned. Avoiding those mistakes on the second, third, and fourth nodes. They find no fights in the woods, and they return to the edge of the grove, awaiting the final charge, ever on the lookout for more creatures and beasties. 2. Goodwill, Hideo. Were reunited for the first time in nearly three weeks. Hideo had been invaluable to the efforts on gathering Purple Windress flowers in the swamps early on due to their innate immunity to disease as a Warforged. Faya and other Paladins that had once been a part of Haven Cross' Adventurers Guild also proved integral. Goodwill and Hideo only cleared 1 node, but the two of them also encountered a small contingent of corrupted Dryads with a handful of corrupted creatures at their behest - two were felled before they could dominate Goodwill or Hideo, but the third was able to grasp Goodwill's mind, Hideo took hits from a few spells, but slayed the final Dryad before too much damage was done. They return to the grove and Hideo enters Sentry mode, obscured in the trees, ready to Message to Goodwill who is resting from their long ordeals of many mind controls. 3. Elric, Gerie, Rizzlenordext. These three, Steel Defender Wolf by their side, Gerie riding upon it's back, dash through the blackened thicket and find a single corruption node, but also find some more Gnolls - these ones under Nerine's control, having been trapped in the maze and their minds already weakened by their berserker ways... They were easy targets. Gerie, despite them driving him from his new home in the Weeping Pine Woods, feels a deep remorse for their suffering, and would not wish this upon them ever. He had become hardened in his time in the NW woodlands, but life in Brazenhold's Gnome district was never easy either. They stood between the node and the three adventurers, but with no vengeance in his heart - Gerie rode into battle. Elric was met with the most offense, his magic and stature making him a prime target, but it was nothing he could not handle. The reflection of the Gnolls berserker nature scared Rizzlenordext though. Always able to tap into and mostly control that rage burning deep within - he was now too frightened to use his rage, at least in the confines of this forest. The fun-loving, kind-hearted dwarf's hidden rage remained so, but their ability to swing their axe was not diminished in the slight, and with some help from Gerie and his Trickster magics, they dispatched the large Gnoll pack and destroyed the node. They collected themselves and sought out at least one other node. They succeeded, but returned to the blackened grove just before the final approach and had less time to prepare. Rizzlenordext's mind beginning to give in to a different kind of madness. 4. Squeeks, Faya. Faya, having made an Oath to the Ancients of this Feylight Forest in recent months had become quite familiar with it, before it's maze-like growths at least, but with her old friend Squeeks helping to guide her from above, the two were tasked with dealing with the 'final node'. They had succeeded in finding the path that Squeeks had found before. It led underground, into a deep and similarly complex maze-like structure, the walls a normal, damp dirt unlike the blighted earth above. They snuck deep into the tunnels and after what seemed like many miles, they found a hovel of sorts. Faya waited here for Squeeks, in Wild Shape, to return from scouting ahead as a mouse. Squeeks saw many corrupted animals, their sharpened senses beginning to sense the scent of her mouse shape. She was able to use her common sense and return to Faya. They were pinned! The two were met with reinforcements after some time when Erdan and his LT had finished with their paths. Together, they delivered the final strikes that would weaken Nerine in the coming battle. 5. Nathaniel, Samuel, Rowan, Sterling. They cleared 3 nodes, the third was protected by The Corrupted Stag that had first guided Rowan and April further into the forest. A stout guide, one of burden and resolve, Rowan had initially believed it to be a sign of something deeper thanks to lessons from her father. Just seeing it again though, since it had escaped her grasp upon entering the forest, made her uneasy. This unrest could be felt through the whole battle with the Stag and other corrupted beasts. As Nathaniel, Samuel, and Sterling work on dispatching the other beasts, Rowan focuses intently on the Stag that starts to dart around the scabbed-over forest. After missing a few shots, Rowan's focus sharpens and her arrows impact with the force of a true Hunter, two shots hit within moments of each other, the Stag is hunter marked, and one shot hits with the power of a critical blow, the Stag is felled and Rowan's unrest settles as it's corpse dissolves into a smoky ash. Nathaniel is able to deliver the final blow to the 3rd corruption node with a well-placed dagger throw, and the four of them return to the outskirts of the grove, eager for this nightmare to be over. Sterling offers solace to Rowan and casts Calm Emotions, helping her to look within and understand her need to reconcile with the Stag. The walk was quiet, save for their steps. 6. Erdan, Additional Holy Warriors. Erdan had set forth most of his battalion into the various outcrops of the forest, moving slower but finishing the jobs quicker, Erdan and his LT each clear 3 nodes before turning their attention to where Squeeks and Faya had gone, the final blow had not been delivered yet. After a few of the nodes were destroyed, Nerine sent some others they had dominated and a large force of corrupted beasts to the underground entrance that lead to the Heartwood's Roots. Squeeks and Faya were trapped within on either side now! With Erdan and his LT's assault against those beasts however; withering them into nothing, they were able to distract those in the underground to come out and reinforce. Squeeks and Faya made their final approach to the roots, free and clear of all other threats, sure that they would find the final node there. Instead, they were met by a sight that only Squeeks had seen before - walking into a tree before the Black Skull Lizardfolk attacked. The reptillian eyes glowing in the limelight of the ritualistic magic that emanated from just below the exposed roots, a visible purple-blackened aura exuding off them within the magic's green lights. A Yuan-Ti Pureblood, by the looks of it. Finally, the enemy had a face! Squeeks and Faya immediately aimed to beset this new threat with magic and blade alike. The powerful magic of the druidic arts that the Yuan-Ti possesses summons forth a collection of poisonous and giant snakes that crowd the chamber - a guttural hissing sound is heard by Squeeks and Faya and the snakes charge at them. Squeeks returns with a similar casting, though, this one is of wolves. 8 wolves come forth and spawn from the Feywild - and Squeeks shapes with the power of the circle of the moon almost in the same instance. A dire wolf with the 8 smaller wolves charges forth, their pack tactics make it hard for the snakes to stand a chance. Faya teleports with a Misty Step past the snakes and is unobstructed from the Yuan-Ti, he's finished scooping up most of his work into his satchel as Faya emerges from the shimmering dissonance of light, and she runs forward, drawing her longsword, swinging at the Yuan-Ti with her Dueling prowess. Yet, the blow is deflected by the quarterstaff that they pick up, wood chips of in a small amount, but the sword is ready for another strike within Faya's hand at a moments notice. A magical utterance echoes forth from the Yuan-Ti and a glimmer appears over the quarterstaff - and a large vine sprouts from the ground, lashing Faya with barbed edges and pulling her 20ft away from the druid. Faya attempts to clear that distance again, but a rumbling can be heard from below that chamber and a tremor displaces the earth between Faya and the Yuan-Ti. Faya is able to make it the next turn, a thorny whip slashing their face, then dragging them through the rocks and dirt. standing back up, the remainder of the difficult terrain slowed her down, just not enough to be able to deliver an additional strike. The snakes are nearly dispatched now and the Yuan-Ti has made all of their saving throws to maintain concentration, but with a few snakes remaining, some of the wolves begin to race over, the vine that had bursted out of the ground was able to whip two of the three wolves that darted over - their bodies disappearing back to the Feywild. The Yuan-Ti and Faya's combat persisted another couple of rounds, wolf now by her side, until the snakes too, returned to the Feywild from whence they came and Squeeks, and the remaining 5 wolves, risked life and limb to dash past the vine. One more wolf was whipped, and in that instant, the vine withered and died - a new rumbling was heard far below, racing upwards quickly. Centered between Faya and Squeeks and her wolf summons, a pillar of exploding earth spews forth and flings rocks, roots, and other debris throughout. The impact of the explosion and subsequent shrapnel eliminated the remaining wolves, and Squeeks reverted back to Birdfolk form, a couple of flecks of dirt coming out as they cough afterward. Outside of it's radius, but distracted by the pillar of Erupting Earth, Faya's attention turns, for only a moment, their ears ringing from their proximity to the sound - worried for their friend. They turn back around, and the Yuan-Ti has raced over to the Heartwood roots, touching one of it's massive veins reaching deeper into the earth and crouching down to touch the sigil around the exposed roots. They chant some words, and the magic's green lights glows brighter, washing over the darker hue found within. Faya is already halfway to the Yuan-Ti now, having cordoned off the fear for Squeeks until they could process it. The sound of the magic, the humming and warbles are deafening, Faya is right on the Yuan-Ti now though. Without noticing her, they begin to walk into the root of the tree, turning their head to look behind them as their form corporealizes into the root, they see Faya. Her final swing lets forth a precision that only a duelist would be able to muster and though it did not strike the enemy directly, the information that came spilling out of the satchel that was severed from their person will help to strike at the heart of what the enemy that would come to be known as, The Driguard. The Yuan-Ti disappears, the magic still warbling outside of control. Faya leaves the satchel where it lies and dashes over to Squeeks, using her Lay on Hands to recoup Squeeks nearly to full health. The two of them race back over to the satchel and Squeeks begins to furiously flip through the papers - looking for any indication of the magic detailed in the sigils, and how to stop it. She can't find it, and time is running out! She begins to study the sigils intently and Faya begins to search through the various papers, Squeeks is looking for anything that she recognizes to try and piece things together, but only a few symbols mean anything. 30 minutes pass and the stress is rising, they try to look among the papers leftover, but some quick fire magic had allowed the Yuan-Ti to smolder the rest of it before departing. Just when it seemed as though all hope was lost, the holy warriors of Gleamgael and Erdan poured into the chamber. Erdan begins issuing commands, but only his movements and non-verbal commands can be understood through the deafening sound of the magic echoing in the large space. Ten of the holy warriors spread around the sigil and exposed roots, and stood at attention, waiting. Erdan walks over to and pulls aside Faya and Squeeks, the many papers in their hands falling, he picks up a few and puts an arm out to walk them to the wall, as far from the sound as they can. He informs them that he recognizes the script as a mix of Abyssal and Sylvan - plus what he assumes is druidic, but does not ask Squeeks to translate. The Yuan-Ti, it seems, is pulling dark magic from somewhere in the Abyss! He asks Squeeks and Faya to join, teaching them the chant they will be using as Erdan performs the ritual to close the Abyssal barrier that is being permeated, and that the rest should take care of itself after that, but the magic needs at least one Druid - Squeeks fervently shakes their head in approval and the collection of adventurers and holy warriors dispel the magic, then excising the tumorous growth that had infected the roots. As the magic halted, a powerful wave of vigor and clarity could be felt below, and Nerine was ejected from the Heartwood tree above. Further proof that her mind had been pushed past the brink. Queen Nerine stands there now, at the base of the Heartwood tree, the purple influence would fade slowly though, but she was weakened now! The plan was working so far with only some minor bumps! April, Xanbjorn, and Ashera; Goodwill and Hideo; Nathaniel, Samuel, Rowan, and Sterling; and Elric, Gerie, and Rizzlenordext each charged in from their various pathways - the twelve of them attempting to clear the large blackened grove with enough time for at least one person to make it to Queen Nerine. At least one person to slay the Dryad Queen of The Feylight.
It was upon them now. The final fight with the cursed queen of nature upon the island. Imbalance and chaos beset the group as the blackened grove's distance became shorter. As they all approached, a rumbling and shaking could be felt. The earth was pulsing with the fury of Nerine but the group continued to charge into the conflict. Nerine raised her arms into the air and spires of scabbed over wooden walls surrounded and closed off the various groups of adventurers. The four walls that sprouted up split each group off from each other and corrupted Dryads began to spawn forth from the Heartwood, their dark influence spreading into the battle with creatures abound, closing folks in against the various corners that had been made by the walls that sprung up, and somehow, she was able to corner everyone in the grove. The four groups were each beset with their own challenges as the Dryads summoned forth various corrupted beast. Those who were stuck within the walls alongside Nerine, April, Xanbjorn and Ashera, know their purpose is set. The others deal with Dryads that continuously spawn from the Heartwood tree in the center, but the prowess of each of the party members, magic, runes, blades, bows, axes, and everything in between allowed the other adventurers to come to a flourish of death as those Dryads who had been corrupted fall, one by one, and the 15ft tall Dryad Queen continued to devastate the realm around The Feylight Forest. Ashera lays into the Queen first, her holy Guiding Bolt digging deep and giving Xanbjorn advantage as spells also spring from April's hands and staff. The race to vanquish her was met with no ease as the other groups struggled and were separated by the blackened walls. More Dryad continued to spawn from the tree, summoning more corrupted beasts and more chaos. Nathaniel and their team, accompanied by Sterling saw the most hardship. The several Dryads attempting to stop Sterling specifically. His holy magics and powerful spells of light having not been used yet, he sends forth a celestial wave of healing that penetrates even these accursed walls. Refreshed and repaired, those trapped within the walls fight harder, the Queen and April's magic counteracts each other as Ashera's divine blood sets loose all manner of holy magic upon herself, and the magic of Shield protecting her more than once. She uses her Warlock Pact Blade gifts to deliver a curse of her own upon Nerine, biding time until the final blows were being made. Sterling could sense his friend's dying light, and lept over the towering walls of the blackened grove. He charges, his hooves digging deep and giving him ultimate traction... his horn leading the way, it pierces Nerine's Dryad core, her heart severed, Sterling gave in to her request, but not before her dying breaths allowed her to dig her tendril like arms into Sterling and begin to... change him. Erdan finally teleports in, landing just above his position underground, within the same section blocked off by Nerine that April and the others were fighting the Dryad Queen in. Sterling whinnies a deepened cry of pain, and the roots of corruption set deep. Erdan dashes forward to intercede with the transference of this corruption, but to no avail. The innate power of the Unicorn is cast, and Sterling transports Nerine, Erdan, and himself to another grove, some ways away. Erdan draws a magical rifle, one that folks had seen slung on his shoulder, but that had yet to be drawn. Sterling's eyes contorted into a distorted blackened-purple hue before Erdan had stepped back and loaded the rifle. The final sounds of the conflict that echoed throughout were the sound of the piercing shots, the Dryads, beasts, and other forms of corruption immediately halting as her, and Sterling's final breaths we made. The walls begin to slowly descend back into the Earth, and the sight of other allies nearby helped bring sighs of relief to those that had fought. The air was already more fresh even thought the color was not returning to the land. Cheers were followed by sadness, realizing what the sound of the shots were... Erdan shuffled back into the grove. Sterling was slain, and all who had fought felt his presence and influence, and mourned. As everyone began to quietly walk back towards Haven Cross, the other maze-like walls slipping back into the earth, Nathaniel's idea came into full fruition. Under a banner of a Unicorn, Nathaniel would start a new guild, a new force, similar to The Illuminators, but willing to helps those in more common threats, not an adventurers guild, but a Protectors' Guild. Thus, alongside Samuel, Rowan, and Faya - at least, The Feylight Guardians were born, their charter being birthed in the weeks to come, and their purpose set. The walk back to the stronghold was halted by the applause of those in town, sure that their doom was near. April and the others felt like they were finally making a difference for the first time and were finally in tune with the island.
Part I: The Verdant Corruption Sets
Session 13 - Intro and Main Quest
This party consisted of April, Squeeks, Elric, Gerie, and Goodwill and accounts for the main party as well as Squeek's split from the party. It takes place over two days, and leads to the Frostshear Pass' makeshift quarantine outpost to be made thanks to reaching out for help.
The Feylight Goes Dark.
The party split into various directions before that fateful night, some looking for information, some looking to get back to normalcy, or some even looking to be of use as this blackened earth began to spread from what appeared to be The Feylight Forest... April, Squeeks, and Goodwill - Hideo included, had all become quite involved in the repair and recession of the plague, and on the blight that it had apparently become. The night was like any other, live music, research, and plans for dealing with the Verdant Corruption at the new home base The Auburn Crustacean. On this night, they met a Gnome by the name of Gerie Gunthries, and his exasperation caught the parties attention, even that of Elric, practicing his etchings at one of the further tables. Gerie was racing on about this large force of Gnolls that had begun travelling many miles from their home in the far northern Weeping Pine Woods. Him and his kobold and faerie dragon friend had recently left the same woods because of the earth beginning to turn a seething black... but all three were shocked to see the blight in The Feylight as well... He is unsure what the bigger threat is but says that either way, The Feylight is in danger. Gerie did not know it would be April and the others, but at the mention of the faerie dragon, April asked its name. Gerie's acknowledgement of the dragons name as Jivew immediately gains April's trust and she swiftly begins to gather her supplies. Squeeks is always one to travel light and with Goodwill in tow, and Elric slowly getting up and letting Fenix know he is leaving. Elric pulls April aside as she grabs her things and offers her a thought, reminding her that he is an Illuminator of Gleamgael. So as Squeeks, Goodwill, and Gerie all travel North towards Haven Cross and The Feylight Forest, April and Elric race to Gleamgael and call upon Nahder Dawnleaf, the second in command of the local guild of heroes and a mentor of Elric to help them convince the leader of The Illuminators, a powerful arcana cleric as well as Nahder's son known as Erdan Dawnleaf, that this event is worthy of their elite protection. The Illuminators have a habit of only getting involved when tipping points have been passed, claiming it would be an abuse of power to "avenge every conflict with Percepia's divine light", and only interceding when death is all but guaranteed for those without their aid. The three were able to convince The Illuminator's leader, though, so, with his holy arcane gifts, Erdan Dawnleaf teleported April, Elric, and some of his own compatriots back to The Drunken Horse Inn in Haven Cross, the others having arrived the day earlier. With everyone back together, April and the others leave the command of Haven Cross to Samuel and The Leader of The Illuminators to sort out, and race off into The Feylight. Nahder rallies the rest of The Illuminators and they begin their approach to deal with the Gnoll threat and gain aid for the Verdant Corruption that was spreading from at least two different places on the island now.
Child of The Forest - Purple Hues of Domination.
While the leaders of the various forces talked inside, an onslaught of darkened beasts had begun attacking the walls of Haven Cross' fort. Rowan Ashefall, another adventurer of Haven Island, stood alone against them until the party saw them on their approach to the North. She had lived and hunted in the forest her whole life. She was a Wood Elf, and was alone in the forest with her father, the two learning from the land and teaching each other survival. She was warm, and was eager to aid the party after they helped her dispatch the blighted boars. A stag, blackened and tall can be seen, outlined in a purple glimmer against the outskirts of the woods, wispy and red it's eyes glow with the coals of hatred and anger. Several other red glows emanate from the spaces within the distant trees, lingering, hundreds of eyes, they all fade at once, except the stag, who then disappears into the forest. The party, scared out of their wits, continues on into the once lush forest of The Feylight which was now beset with awful growths, blackened, bulbous, and hardened, almost as if it was scabbed over along the earth and above it. Tangled walls of these grotesque veins of blight were spread abound and though it may have once been a forest, these walls turned the light into a darkened maze. Rowan races after the Stag, reasons her own, but she helps the party get deep enough to be lost. They begin to wander and eventually find large glasslike bulbs with enchanting purple light luring creatures close, the party recognizes the actual flowers within a second glasslike capsule inside. Gerie is lifted and reaches his hand into the space between the glass and the flower capsule and both sides of the glass shatter. There are several other bulbs throughout the darkened passageways. Their ominous hue distracting the party for some time as Gerie comes up with a new idea and, as an Arcane Trickster uses his mage hand to reach into the bulbs, pulling several from their glass prison with ease, some others do shatter though. Wandering deeper, and around other maze-like bramble, the party encounters a group of corrupted creatures, trees, boars, wolves, and hidden in the dark outskirts and travelling between the trees - Dryads. Normally, all of these creatures and especially the Dryads are one with nature, but this corruption seeped into their psyche as well as the boars, wolves, and other corrupted plants that held the party at bay. The Dryads slipped around and a dominating presence began to set root into Goodwill's mind. His wisdom too low to fight off the Dryads charm, twisted into domination. He turns on the party, and the conflict grows - Squeeks surmises that the Dryad were responsible and focused her magic to end their domination over Goodwill. Eventually, the five of them reach the center of the forest. A huge clearing and a large tree standing in it's center which seems to be covered in a familiar purple color. This ancient tree towers over all, a majestic Heartwood tree through and through, though... twisted into an oil well of purple haze. It stands much taller than the walls that create the makeshift maze and a similar strange feeling that had overcome Goodwill begins to overcome the group, much stronger than before. A sinister feeling of domination and the sight of that tree is the last that the party can recall before slipping into it's cold embrace. A mind control that only Squeeks was able to withstand. She begins running away from the entity that approached afterwards, not getting a good look, but escaping into the forest to come up with a plan.
Part II: Green Matters
Session 14 - Intro and Branch Quest
This party consisted of Xanbjorn, as well as a traveling female Tabaxi bard (NPC) and a human male rogue (NPC) whose names were never shared with Xanbjorn, but helped him to cross through the northern checkpoint, with an enthralling performance to the guards. None were slain, guards or otherwise. They later aid other NPC's before reaching the center of the forest.
Xanbjorn The Copperborn Arrives!
As chance, or fate perhaps, would have it, a ship had docked at the port of Lun'ir Akaas, a small elven city along the Lunar Coast, several days prior. It held a passenger from the West, from the distant Dragon Island of Aramore. An intimidating Copper Dragonborn Barbarian whose hermitage nature lead them to a great discovery. A ring that allowed them to communicate with a prophet of Bahamut Himself! Xanbjorn was the name they went by, and upon wearing the ring, and answering some questions to test their nature, the prophet told Xanbjorn to head East to Haven Island, and to go into Haven Cross to find The Platinum Warlock. They made some inquiries in town to discover where to head and then made great haste through the bonechilling cold of The Valley of The Solstice. After a days journey they made camp just within the Frostshear Pass, some ways off the road, but not out of sight - confidant in their ability to defend themselves. The prophet and Xanbjorn spoke throughout their journey on the ship, asking the usual questions a chosen hero would ask, and the prophet being as vague as we would come to expect them to be; however, that night, the prophet spoke of their feelings on fate. They said that they didn't think that it was something that truly existed and that those who are chosen are sometimes just in the right place at the right time, but that it didn't discount the actions one could still accomplish, finishing their introspective with, "All mortals need is a little bit of purpose, then they can do anything." Xanbjorn rested well, after that, and, after the long journey through the frozen tundra. The next morning, a couple of travelers were in their camp, skinny, disheveled and sitting around the dying fire in the early hours of the day. The cold winds were blowing gently, but still icy to the touch. Xanbjorn did not react as they climbed out of their tent but as their full stature came to be seen by the female Tabaxi and the male Human... there was a visible fear in their eyes. Xanbjorn smiled though, their scaly grin putting The Two at an anxious ease. Xanbjorn put a single finger up to indicate that they wait and walked over to a nearby tree and untied a rope, allowing a sack to drop from the branch it was hanging over. They looked at the travelers and said in a deep-voiced, rough common tongue, "For bears to not eat, please have some." and took what smoked meats they needed for the next few days journey and began to pack up their camp. The travelers dug in, clearly not having any real meals in a few days, this not fitting the bill, but filling their bellies at least. Xanbjorn had finished packing up by the time they had eaten most of the sack's contents - 4 days worth of food, and began to start their trek East once more. The Two stopped Xanbjorn, telling them about how there was a group of soldiers that were holding up the only entryway to the East for many miles. They had found out a couple days earlier, being unable to walk through the blizzard that was raging outside of the pass, just before Xanbjorn's own trek through the tundra. They had been coming up with a plan on how to get past the soldiers, but didn't feel they had the energy to succeed (or the muscle to protect them if they failed), and offered Xanbjorn aid in passing the soldiers. Xanbjorn conferred with the prophet who saw no reason to turn away help as long as no one gets killed.
Xanbjorn and The Two Travel East.
The Two still needed rest though, and asked if they could wait a day to recuperate. Xanbjorn reluctantly agreed, made a fire, and decided to scout atop the cliffs while The Two rested in their tent - big enough for The Two with Xanbjorn's immense size. Xanbjorn got a great look over the top of the cliffside and saw the small regiment of soldiers, heavily armored, and only a handful. They then hunted dinner, cleaning it before bringing it back, yet The Two were still sleeping. The rest of the afternoon and early evening went by until all three were awake, well fed, and ready to venture East. The Two sharing their plan finally: the Tabaxi was a fledgling bard, and thought they might be able to charm the soldiers with a performance. As all three, lead by Xanbjorn, walked towards the location where Xanbjorn had seen the soldiers, the Human asks them why they haven't asked for their names yet. Xanbjorn is silent for a bit and the Human begins to ask again before Xanbjorn interrupts saying, "Names do not matter, words do not matter, only actions. I saw fear, in you, but you see me now - no names needed." Xanbjorn nods slightly after saying that over their shoulder back at The Two. The soldiers come into view and The Two follow Xanbjorn's lead as they stop and crouch behind a boulder that rests within the slightly wooded area. After seeing only three soldiers, The Two begin to make their way past Xanbjorn who is looking out for the other two soldiers but is unable to see them despite the moon providing a dim glow through the trees. Xanbjorn sneaks behind The Two, waiting for the Tabaxi to begin their song - a magical tune imbued with feywild magic. Unfortunately, the magic was only able to enthrall two of the three men, and the third began to charge at the Tabaxi. The Tabaxi froze - the magic had never worked before! Luckily, just outside of the light of the torch fire, the Human and Xanbjorn were waiting, and so, the Human cast a Sleep spell and focused it on the person who was not enthralled by the Glamour magic. The soldier fell face first, asleep, and the Tabaxi looked back at the Human mouthing 'Thank You' and then, panicking, commands the others who are enthralled to 'dogpile' on top of him. The three race down the path, never seeing the final two soldiers, and make it to the edge of The Feylight Forest on the eve that the darkened growths had turned the forest into it's maze-like self. Xanbjorn tensed, The Two stopped alongside them, the violet lights glowing just beyond.
Opportunity and Allies - Whack a Pack of Gnolls.
There was no way to the South from where they stood, the growths blocked the road just North of Jolly Momo's Inn and Spa, so the only way through was, well, through. So, the three of them walked in, and upon seeing the glowing bulbs the Human saw an opportunity - seeing the flowers within and remembering rumors of 'the plague in the North', the rare flowers that looked like purple dresses... he could not resist his roguish nature. He desired the flowers to sell or exploit and, to all others, a floating glass capsule could be seen wafting lightly though the air into the Human's satchel. The Tabaxi knew about the Human's invisible mage hand and was not surprised, so a few more bulbs were grabbed and then the Human began to feel a little woozy. The Tabaxi tended to the Human with a minor restoration spell, and The Two turn tail and wish Xanbojrn the best of luck, saying that they are going to try their luck in Portsmouth, just to the North. So curious the natures of Tabaxis and Humans. Xanbjorn begins venturing further in now, traveling at a quickened pace. This being Xanbjorn's first hearing of the plague, they can't help but feel fear although courage carries forth. And, with the loss of their newfound friends prompting them to be less careful, they move at their full potential, and the wings on their back unfurl. Xanbjorn dashes just above the ground darting through the forest and even over the walls of the growths. They stop for a moment to catch their breath, wings at the side, but not completely furled, and they hear a frightening howl that is coming from something that is... not a wolf. Xanbjorn puts their wings away and races towards the howl, towards the resounding clash of tooth and fang and maw against steel. A sound that they both reveled and despised. The rage making their spirit strong, but their totem of the bear keeping them safe. Turning a final corner, Great sword at the ready, lashed with leather from previous kills. The stench of blood forever infused into the handle of this giant weapon from the many conflicts on Aramore against the Chromatic dragon's forces. The weapon had as much of a story as Xanbjorn, and as they carried it's heft they saw the monstrosities that had come from the far north Weeping Pine Woods, trapped within the maze with unknown allies. A pack of Gnolls, Rowan Ashefall, Nathaniel Haven, and Samuel Wyrmshadow heard Xanbjorn release the resistant rage of the great bears of yore. They saw another entity racing into combat, a pearlescent and glorious mane and coat blurring past - A Unicorn, who is later introduced as Sterling. With these two new ferocious allies, the tide of battle began to turn. The berserker like rage of the pack of Gnolls amassed behind the command of a far more ferocious pack leader. So, Sterling and Xanbjorn focused their attacks on the creature until it's final breath at the expense of Sterling's twisted horn piercing it's chest. Immediately, hearing the dying cry of their leader, the other Gnolls went into a primal fury and focused all of their combined might unto Sterling. The creature was assaulted by tooth and claw, and slashed and all seemed lost for Sterling - even after a mystical wave of healing light washed over all allies, resonating from Sterling. Nathaniel, Samuel, Rowan, and Xanbjorn all begun to carve down the Gnolls, free to move about as they pleased. Nathaniel's Eladrin magic had shifted to Spring since they were last seen, some Eladrin able to focus the nature magic to shift. He touches Samuel and teleports him forward 30 feet while dashing towards the creatures - their years of shared combat showing clearly, Rowan of course begins to let loose arrows down upon the Gnolls huddling upon and swarming over Sterling and Samuel closes the rest of the distance emerging from his teleportation with a rapier and a longsword drawn. Xanbjorn and the others pierce and rend the flesh from the pack until the final few flee off into the woods and Sterling was saved! Nathaniel asks to speak with Sterling a moment and offers some healing via poultices or herb wraps. The two of them pull aside and only Nathaniel's side of the conversation can be heard since Sterling speaks directly into his mind. They turn back to the group who had been wiping up the blood of their latest kills and they all begin to devise a plan together. Nathaniel introduces Sterling who then begins speaking directly into each of their minds... except for Xanbjorn's. Always missing Sterling's part of the conversation, Xanbjorn remains silent, flustered, and attempts to piece together the plan. Thankfully, Nathaniel summarizes things in the end, and thanks Xanbjorn for helping in battle, despite not helping with the planning. The group leaves into the woods, accompanied by Sterling, and eventually reach the center of the forest, where the Heartwood tree lies, and the atmosphere now flows thick with the purple haze. The group begins to feel the overwhelming sense of dread as tendrils of control begin to travel up their spines. A tall, shadowy figure begins to emerge from the Heartwood tree, another corrupted Dryad but... much, much larger. A distorted, raspy voice calls out, and each word seeming to almost whisper from the other trees around the group, "I am Queen Nerine, and you sit upon my throne of Order. Submission is Inevitable."
Part III: Queen Nerine of The Feylight
Session 15 - Combo Quest
With many objectives and many NPC's involved in the fray this final part splits the various groups after discovering the source of the blight in The Feylight Forest. They split and return after each completing objectives to weaken and finally destroy the corrupted Dyrad Queen, ancient, beautiful, and powerful. The second group now contains Xanbjorn, Sterling, Nathaniel, Samuel, and Rowan.
Twisted Minds - Broken Chains.
The dark twisting tendrils of control had set root in each of their minds. The power coming from the source, from where it was strongest, from Queen Nerine - the Dryad Queen of The Feylight Forest for... well, as long as any historian can account for - perhaps it was merely a title that was passed on, but whatever the name meant, she was powerful. Thirteen distinct pathways deposited into this blackened grove, the equally scabbed-over walls funneling all manner of folks through the diabolical maze she had made. Once the full effect of the control was set, a connection to all that she had taken already could be felt. Their collective dread and eventual numbness at her branchlike hands lulls Xanbjorn and the group they are with into their Stockholm-syndromed bliss... Angry at the interference of the adventurers in their forest, she makes Xanbjorn and the others linger. And from several of the 13 paths that veer off into the purple hues and darkness therein comes April, Goodwill, Elric, Gerie, Orla The Ranger, and Rizzlenordext The Wild, each alone, walking with purpose. The sound of their collective steps coming from several directions are lost on the charmed party though and, opposite of Xanbjorn's group, they gather. Having all of the meddlers in the forest that she can sense finally at hand, she speaks. The distorted sound carries into the wind and through the trees once more, "You will kill each other, and the winner gets to leave with their life, and... their mind." As the words faded and melded into their command and the haze wafted deep into the woods, drifting slowly, everyone drew their weapons and the two groups charged forward, clashing at Nerine's roots. Spells, blades, arrows, and axes all rang in the sounds of mortal combat, and in the amass of twisted minds, no one was able to break free. Once the haze of purple had finally dissipated, Sterling's control was severed, and in that moment, he looked up at the Queen and heard her crying. A distorted, sobbing, and he quickly realized, it was from the curse, the corruption that had seeped deep into her roots. She could feel the pain of those who fought in her proximity. She was a raw nerve, sensitive to every pressure, but was making it happen. Sterling's pain echoed with his longtime friend as a fellow protector of her lands. He knew he had to stop this. His light, internal and lawful, exuded with a brilliant golden sheen and bathed over those he had been travelling with, Nathaniel, Rowan, Samuel, and Xanbjorn all break free of their control, stunned in combat for only a round, but the others being blinded from the light all the same. They all come to and, all but Xanbjorn, hear Sterling speak in their minds, "Help me with the Queen, and hold them back!" Nathaniel and Samuel have met enough of the party to know to pull their punches, Xanbjorn, had not. So, as Sterling raced off towards Nerine, aided by Rowan's arrows, Nathaniel and Samuel aimed to spend their time stopping the Dragonborn's fury from slaying their longtime friends. Xanbjorn was met by Rizzlenordext The Wild, and Elric raced off, with Gerie riding his Steel Defender Wolf, towards Sterling, Orla dashes towards Rowan, and while Samuel holds Goodwill at bay, Nathaniel does the same with April. When two barbarians such as Xanbjorn and Rizzlenordext meet, it is not unlike an immovable object meeting an unstoppable force and so, as the totemic bear's rage comes forth, so too does the berserker-like rage of the Hill Dwarf. The two of them engage in a brutal assault of great axe and great sword. The spirit of the bear held back the hidden fury of the kind-hearted dwarf as Samuel and Nathaniel each took a battery of spells from April and Goodwill, closing the distance and attempting to merely disable or knock their friends out. Rowan turned towards Orla, whose shortbow was still a threat - the two danced for a few rounds, spinning a circle with twinned shots of arrows spiraling out until either's quivers were empty. Then they pulled out their shortswords. Orla was a fan of such combat, as her small stature often helped in disabling foes, though Rowan was keen enough to reflect Orla's quickened blows, a user of dual-shortswords - Orla was outmatched, Sterling was too far, and Rowan was getting tired. They had been in the forest awhile and were starting to feel it's effects. Orla continued to come at Rowan, Rowan continued to dodge, but they finally found an opening. Orla was struck! After that, Orla began missing her blows and failed to feign Rowan's. Rowan continued her flurry, fading and fearing for her life, the two fought, further from the others, until Orla lied, slain. Rowan falling to her knees next to the Far Travelling Gnome's body. Having raced off, Sterling is met by the Steel Wolf, Gerie, and Elric. Sterling is grand though, and his powerful legs allow him to merely leap over them, sailing over them and towards Queen Nerine. She is nestled, body partially corporealized outside of the Heartwood Tree some 60ft up, so Sterling dashes and jumps from limb to limb of her tree, racing evermore towards his friend in an attempt to rid her body of this curse! His hooves are not meant for this, the tree's branches are scabbed over in various places by the same toxic shell that has covered The Feylight and Sterling's hooves slip even easier upon that. Still, he swiftly reaches her position only for her to move into the tree and ignore his telepathic pleas. She appears further up launching harsh spells and harsher words yet he dashes forth once more. When Sterling reaches Nerine this time around he is able to speak with her and sees the battle raging below. He attempts to dissuade her from going forward any longer, sure that his longtime friend was still inside - somewhere... He saw it, the last of it, come out for a moment - her eyes clearing from their purple-black to an incandescent green. Nerine was crying, sobbing with every word she spoke - she told Sterling about the man that had come to her and given her this, that she asked for it, that she wanted vengeance. She begged for him to kill her. To drive his horn straight through her heart before she has to feel anymore of their suffering. Before he has a chance to answer, her eyes change back, the darkened hue glowing ominously. She attempts to grapple him with large vine-like tendrils that protrude from her, but Sterling casts featherfall, and sails back down to the ground, his descent landing him centered upon the others. "It's too late for her." He thinks to himself, before casting his other Mass Restoration, ridding April and the others of their mind control afflictions - all but Orla. As the healing light washes over the party below, Queen Nerine retreats into her tree - capable of sharing the space of any tree in the forest with her magic. The battle done, the party all gathered, Rowan carrying Orla's body over, and they stopped and sat in an eerie silence in the dreary moonlight that danced through the clouds overhead with their shackles of the mind broken. What do they do now?
Nodes of Influence - The Great Divergence.
Several minutes passed, and the silence was deafening. April stood first. Weakly telling the others that it was not safe to stay here, sure that Queen Nerine could return at any moment. Everyone slowly gets to their feet, but there is no drive to continue. Xanbjorn offers to carry Orla's body as they shuffle towards the Southernmost path of the 13 that surrounded the grove. The rain quickly turned from a light drizzle to a heavy downpour and by the time they had crossed the blackened grove, the water only served to weight their spirits down even more. As they approach the mouth of the path, a familiar warbling noise is heard behind them, and the dim light of the moon barely makes out the shimmer of several others teleporting into the grove. Erdan walks forth with Squeeks, Hideo, Faya, Ashera, and an Illuminator LT. "We were nearly ready and saw the flash of light over the trees - I found some friends of yours who were at Haven Cross that asked to join." It seems that 'Hope is never dead when the Light's Fire is nearby' - as is a saying in the new age Illuminators. The power of one leader can turn the tides of even the worst of odds., and, in the aftermath of the dread they had just felt, Nathaniel felt inspired. The shining armor of Erdan creating a mirror as he pulls in close to introduce himself - prompting Nathaniel to see himself and sparking the start of a new man. One unafraid of his fathers shadow. Erdan, April and the others, in the veritable gang of adventurers that they were, travelled south a ways until they could make up a large camp. Spells and wards were placed around on the outskirts, restoration and healing magic was offered, and with both Hideo and Elric providing a Sentry Rest - the party was able to relax, sleep awhile, and begin to prepare. The morning came, and Erdan had since created a Teleport Circle and attuned it to Gleamgael's own, the runework was impressive and Elric even took some notes. How could a Half-Elf at the age of 26, lead a battalion of fearsome holy knights, and still be able to perform such magic? Well, from his early youth, Nahder trained and educated Erdan, his son, in Gleamgael. Sun Elf privilege and superiority wouldn't be called such without an element of truth, but Nahder's love of a human helped him to let go of some of those complexes, and with the birth of Erdan... he knew he was in the right place. Erdan became an adventurer of sorts at the young age of 16 to go on a 'holy quest of legacy' and returned after 4 years alone in the various wilds of Haven Island. For the last 5 years he has led the troops of the guild and instituted renewed Oaths of Devotion and Tenets that the holy warriors must follow. After the morning's lull begins to come into focus, the party gathers at Erdan's request in a massive battle-tent that had cropped up with the help of some additional troops that had teleported in from the circle. Erdan speaks first, and asks folks to share any and all information they have about the conflict at hand - stating that The Illuminators that had marched to Haven Cross early last night quelled enough of the Gnoll migration before it reached The Alabaster Shore in force. Squeeks shared the information she had given to Erdan to bequeath his support in the first place. She had watched April and the other's, after their minds were taken. She flew overhead and watched more than one person who had been under Nerine's control stop to tend to the flowers that were encapsulated in the purple hued glass-like chrysalises. She saw some folks cut their hands and touch the glass, she saw some folks simply stand there... but in the end, some of the flowers had changed, they became putrid and rotten smelling and the naturally forming glass would shatter, releasing the noxious gas outward. A body could be seen in front of these blackened nodes from time to time, withered, the flower had turned into a corruption node. She had found the location where she thinks the central node is, but can't reach it alone. Nathaniel shares about it's spread to the West, and Xanbjorn to the North. The rest of the party members systematically share all of the information they have gathered in the last 48 hours and a plan begins to develop - they would split up down each of the 13 paths and search and destroy these nodes because; at the best, they heighten Nerine's influence, and at the worst, they keep her alive. Erdan coordinates the various adventurers and his own units to split up, unsure of how many nodes, but certain there are many. They split up as such: 1. April, Xanbjorn, Ashera. Finally being united with The Platinum Warlock, Xanbjorn wastes no time ensuring that they stay right beside the Half-Drow Elf. The mysterious Moon Elf Ashera joins them and the three end up clearing 4 nodes of corruption with Ashera's usual precision and... intuition guiding their hands. After they had some issues with the first node, Xanbjorn's resistance to acid stopping a portion of the noxious gasses effects but not it's paralytic effect, the three of them quickly race back and around the outskirts of the blackened grove down another corridor - as planned. Avoiding those mistakes on the second, third, and fourth nodes. They find no fights in the woods, and they return to the edge of the grove, awaiting the final charge, ever on the lookout for more creatures and beasties. 2. Goodwill, Hideo. Were reunited for the first time in nearly three weeks. Hideo had been invaluable to the efforts on gathering Purple Windress flowers in the swamps early on due to their innate immunity to disease as a Warforged. Faya and other Paladins that had once been a part of Haven Cross' Adventurers Guild also proved integral. Goodwill and Hideo only cleared 1 node, but the two of them also encountered a small contingent of corrupted Dryads with a handful of corrupted creatures at their behest - two were felled before they could dominate Goodwill or Hideo, but the third was able to grasp Goodwill's mind, Hideo took hits from a few spells, but slayed the final Dryad before too much damage was done. They return to the grove and Hideo enters Sentry mode, obscured in the trees, ready to Message to Goodwill who is resting from their long ordeals of many mind controls. 3. Elric, Gerie, Rizzlenordext. These three, Steel Defender Wolf by their side, Gerie riding upon it's back, dash through the blackened thicket and find a single corruption node, but also find some more Gnolls - these ones under Nerine's control, having been trapped in the maze and their minds already weakened by their berserker ways... They were easy targets. Gerie, despite them driving him from his new home in the Weeping Pine Woods, feels a deep remorse for their suffering, and would not wish this upon them ever. He had become hardened in his time in the NW woodlands, but life in Brazenhold's Gnome district was never easy either. They stood between the node and the three adventurers, but with no vengeance in his heart - Gerie rode into battle. Elric was met with the most offense, his magic and stature making him a prime target, but it was nothing he could not handle. The reflection of the Gnolls berserker nature scared Rizzlenordext though. Always able to tap into and mostly control that rage burning deep within - he was now too frightened to use his rage, at least in the confines of this forest. The fun-loving, kind-hearted dwarf's hidden rage remained so, but their ability to swing their axe was not diminished in the slight, and with some help from Gerie and his Trickster magics, they dispatched the large Gnoll pack and destroyed the node. They collected themselves and sought out at least one other node. They succeeded, but returned to the blackened grove just before the final approach and had less time to prepare. Rizzlenordext's mind beginning to give in to a different kind of madness. 4. Squeeks, Faya. Faya, having made an Oath to the Ancients of this Feylight Forest in recent months had become quite familiar with it, before it's maze-like growths at least, but with her old friend Squeeks helping to guide her from above, the two were tasked with dealing with the 'final node'. They had succeeded in finding the path that Squeeks had found before. It led underground, into a deep and similarly complex maze-like structure, the walls a normal, damp dirt unlike the blighted earth above. They snuck deep into the tunnels and after what seemed like many miles, they found a hovel of sorts. Faya waited here for Squeeks, in Wild Shape, to return from scouting ahead as a mouse. Squeeks saw many corrupted animals, their sharpened senses beginning to sense the scent of her mouse shape. She was able to use her common sense and return to Faya. They were pinned! The two were met with reinforcements after some time when Erdan and his LT had finished with their paths. Together, they delivered the final strikes that would weaken Nerine in the coming battle. 5. Nathaniel, Samuel, Rowan, Sterling. They cleared 3 nodes, the third was protected by The Corrupted Stag that had first guided Rowan and April further into the forest. A stout guide, one of burden and resolve, Rowan had initially believed it to be a sign of something deeper thanks to lessons from her father. Just seeing it again though, since it had escaped her grasp upon entering the forest, made her uneasy. This unrest could be felt through the whole battle with the Stag and other corrupted beasts. As Nathaniel, Samuel, and Sterling work on dispatching the other beasts, Rowan focuses intently on the Stag that starts to dart around the scabbed-over forest. After missing a few shots, Rowan's focus sharpens and her arrows impact with the force of a true Hunter, two shots hit within moments of each other, the Stag is hunter marked, and one shot hits with the power of a critical blow, the Stag is felled and Rowan's unrest settles as it's corpse dissolves into a smoky ash. Nathaniel is able to deliver the final blow to the 3rd corruption node with a well-placed dagger throw, and the four of them return to the outskirts of the grove, eager for this nightmare to be over. Sterling offers solace to Rowan and casts Calm Emotions, helping her to look within and understand her need to reconcile with the Stag. The walk was quiet, save for their steps. 6. Erdan, Additional Holy Warriors. Erdan had set forth most of his battalion into the various outcrops of the forest, moving slower but finishing the jobs quicker, Erdan and his LT each clear 3 nodes before turning their attention to where Squeeks and Faya had gone, the final blow had not been delivered yet. After a few of the nodes were destroyed, Nerine sent some others they had dominated and a large force of corrupted beasts to the underground entrance that lead to the Heartwood's Roots. Squeeks and Faya were trapped within on either side now! With Erdan and his LT's assault against those beasts however; withering them into nothing, they were able to distract those in the underground to come out and reinforce. Squeeks and Faya made their final approach to the roots, free and clear of all other threats, sure that they would find the final node there. Instead, they were met by a sight that only Squeeks had seen before - walking into a tree before the Black Skull Lizardfolk attacked. The reptillian eyes glowing in the limelight of the ritualistic magic that emanated from just below the exposed roots, a visible purple-blackened aura exuding off them within the magic's green lights. A Yuan-Ti Pureblood, by the looks of it. Finally, the enemy had a face! Squeeks and Faya immediately aimed to beset this new threat with magic and blade alike. The powerful magic of the druidic arts that the Yuan-Ti possesses summons forth a collection of poisonous and giant snakes that crowd the chamber - a guttural hissing sound is heard by Squeeks and Faya and the snakes charge at them. Squeeks returns with a similar casting, though, this one is of wolves. 8 wolves come forth and spawn from the Feywild - and Squeeks shapes with the power of the circle of the moon almost in the same instance. A dire wolf with the 8 smaller wolves charges forth, their pack tactics make it hard for the snakes to stand a chance. Faya teleports with a Misty Step past the snakes and is unobstructed from the Yuan-Ti, he's finished scooping up most of his work into his satchel as Faya emerges from the shimmering dissonance of light, and she runs forward, drawing her longsword, swinging at the Yuan-Ti with her Dueling prowess. Yet, the blow is deflected by the quarterstaff that they pick up, wood chips of in a small amount, but the sword is ready for another strike within Faya's hand at a moments notice. A magical utterance echoes forth from the Yuan-Ti and a glimmer appears over the quarterstaff - and a large vine sprouts from the ground, lashing Faya with barbed edges and pulling her 20ft away from the druid. Faya attempts to clear that distance again, but a rumbling can be heard from below that chamber and a tremor displaces the earth between Faya and the Yuan-Ti. Faya is able to make it the next turn, a thorny whip slashing their face, then dragging them through the rocks and dirt. standing back up, the remainder of the difficult terrain slowed her down, just not enough to be able to deliver an additional strike. The snakes are nearly dispatched now and the Yuan-Ti has made all of their saving throws to maintain concentration, but with a few snakes remaining, some of the wolves begin to race over, the vine that had bursted out of the ground was able to whip two of the three wolves that darted over - their bodies disappearing back to the Feywild. The Yuan-Ti and Faya's combat persisted another couple of rounds, wolf now by her side, until the snakes too, returned to the Feywild from whence they came and Squeeks, and the remaining 5 wolves, risked life and limb to dash past the vine. One more wolf was whipped, and in that instant, the vine withered and died - a new rumbling was heard far below, racing upwards quickly. Centered between Faya and Squeeks and her wolf summons, a pillar of exploding earth spews forth and flings rocks, roots, and other debris throughout. The impact of the explosion and subsequent shrapnel eliminated the remaining wolves, and Squeeks reverted back to Birdfolk form, a couple of flecks of dirt coming out as they cough afterward. Outside of it's radius, but distracted by the pillar of Erupting Earth, Faya's attention turns, for only a moment, their ears ringing from their proximity to the sound - worried for their friend. They turn back around, and the Yuan-Ti has raced over to the Heartwood roots, touching one of it's massive veins reaching deeper into the earth and crouching down to touch the sigil around the exposed roots. They chant some words, and the magic's green lights glows brighter, washing over the darker hue found within. Faya is already halfway to the Yuan-Ti now, having cordoned off the fear for Squeeks until they could process it. The sound of the magic, the humming and warbles are deafening, Faya is right on the Yuan-Ti now though. Without noticing her, they begin to walk into the root of the tree, turning their head to look behind them as their form corporealizes into the root, they see Faya. Her final swing lets forth a precision that only a duelist would be able to muster and though it did not strike the enemy directly, the information that came spilling out of the satchel that was severed from their person will help to strike at the heart of what the enemy that would come to be known as, The Driguard. The Yuan-Ti disappears, the magic still warbling outside of control. Faya leaves the satchel where it lies and dashes over to Squeeks, using her Lay on Hands to recoup Squeeks nearly to full health. The two of them race back over to the satchel and Squeeks begins to furiously flip through the papers - looking for any indication of the magic detailed in the sigils, and how to stop it. She can't find it, and time is running out! She begins to study the sigils intently and Faya begins to search through the various papers, Squeeks is looking for anything that she recognizes to try and piece things together, but only a few symbols mean anything. 30 minutes pass and the stress is rising, they try to look among the papers leftover, but some quick fire magic had allowed the Yuan-Ti to smolder the rest of it before departing. Just when it seemed as though all hope was lost, the holy warriors of Gleamgael and Erdan poured into the chamber. Erdan begins issuing commands, but only his movements and non-verbal commands can be understood through the deafening sound of the magic echoing in the large space. Ten of the holy warriors spread around the sigil and exposed roots, and stood at attention, waiting. Erdan walks over to and pulls aside Faya and Squeeks, the many papers in their hands falling, he picks up a few and puts an arm out to walk them to the wall, as far from the sound as they can. He informs them that he recognizes the script as a mix of Abyssal and Sylvan - plus what he assumes is druidic, but does not ask Squeeks to translate. The Yuan-Ti, it seems, is pulling dark magic from somewhere in the Abyss! He asks Squeeks and Faya to join, teaching them the chant they will be using as Erdan performs the ritual to close the Abyssal barrier that is being permeated, and that the rest should take care of itself after that, but the magic needs at least one Druid - Squeeks fervently shakes their head in approval and the collection of adventurers and holy warriors dispel the magic, then excising the tumorous growth that had infected the roots. As the magic halted, a powerful wave of vigor and clarity could be felt below, and Nerine was ejected from the Heartwood tree above. Further proof that her mind had been pushed past the brink. Queen Nerine stands there now, at the base of the Heartwood tree, the purple influence would fade slowly though, but she was weakened now! The plan was working so far with only some minor bumps! April, Xanbjorn, and Ashera; Goodwill and Hideo; Nathaniel, Samuel, Rowan, and Sterling; and Elric, Gerie, and Rizzlenordext each charged in from their various pathways - the twelve of them attempting to clear the large blackened grove with enough time for at least one person to make it to Queen Nerine. At least one person to slay the Dryad Queen of The Feylight.
Queen Nerine: Maiden of Blackened Bramble.
It was upon them now. The final fight with the cursed queen of nature upon the island. Imbalance and chaos beset the group as the blackened grove's distance became shorter. As they all approached, a rumbling and shaking could be felt. The earth was pulsing with the fury of Nerine but the group continued to charge into the conflict. Nerine raised her arms into the air and spires of scabbed over wooden walls surrounded and closed off the various groups of adventurers. The four walls that sprouted up split each group off from each other and corrupted Dryads began to spawn forth from the Heartwood, their dark influence spreading into the battle with creatures abound, closing folks in against the various corners that had been made by the walls that sprung up, and somehow, she was able to corner everyone in the grove. The four groups were each beset with their own challenges as the Dryads summoned forth various corrupted beast. Those who were stuck within the walls alongside Nerine, April, Xanbjorn and Ashera, know their purpose is set. The others deal with Dryads that continuously spawn from the Heartwood tree in the center, but the prowess of each of the party members, magic, runes, blades, bows, axes, and everything in between allowed the other adventurers to come to a flourish of death as those Dryads who had been corrupted fall, one by one, and the 15ft tall Dryad Queen continued to devastate the realm around The Feylight Forest. Ashera lays into the Queen first, her holy Guiding Bolt digging deep and giving Xanbjorn advantage as spells also spring from April's hands and staff. The race to vanquish her was met with no ease as the other groups struggled and were separated by the blackened walls. More Dryad continued to spawn from the tree, summoning more corrupted beasts and more chaos. Nathaniel and their team, accompanied by Sterling saw the most hardship. The several Dryads attempting to stop Sterling specifically. His holy magics and powerful spells of light having not been used yet, he sends forth a celestial wave of healing that penetrates even these accursed walls. Refreshed and repaired, those trapped within the walls fight harder, the Queen and April's magic counteracts each other as Ashera's divine blood sets loose all manner of holy magic upon herself, and the magic of Shield protecting her more than once. She uses her Warlock Pact Blade gifts to deliver a curse of her own upon Nerine, biding time until the final blows were being made. Sterling could sense his friend's dying light, and lept over the towering walls of the blackened grove. He charges, his hooves digging deep and giving him ultimate traction... his horn leading the way, it pierces Nerine's Dryad core, her heart severed, Sterling gave in to her request, but not before her dying breaths allowed her to dig her tendril like arms into Sterling and begin to... change him. Erdan finally teleports in, landing just above his position underground, within the same section blocked off by Nerine that April and the others were fighting the Dryad Queen in. Sterling whinnies a deepened cry of pain, and the roots of corruption set deep. Erdan dashes forward to intercede with the transference of this corruption, but to no avail. The innate power of the Unicorn is cast, and Sterling transports Nerine, Erdan, and himself to another grove, some ways away. Erdan draws a magical rifle, one that folks had seen slung on his shoulder, but that had yet to be drawn. Sterling's eyes contorted into a distorted blackened-purple hue before Erdan had stepped back and loaded the rifle. The final sounds of the conflict that echoed throughout were the sound of the piercing shots, the Dryads, beasts, and other forms of corruption immediately halting as her, and Sterling's final breaths we made. The walls begin to slowly descend back into the Earth, and the sight of other allies nearby helped bring sighs of relief to those that had fought. The air was already more fresh even thought the color was not returning to the land. Cheers were followed by sadness, realizing what the sound of the shots were... Erdan shuffled back into the grove. Sterling was slain, and all who had fought felt his presence and influence, and mourned. As everyone began to quietly walk back towards Haven Cross, the other maze-like walls slipping back into the earth, Nathaniel's idea came into full fruition. Under a banner of a Unicorn, Nathaniel would start a new guild, a new force, similar to The Illuminators, but willing to helps those in more common threats, not an adventurers guild, but a Protectors' Guild. Thus, alongside Samuel, Rowan, and Faya - at least, The Feylight Guardians were born, their charter being birthed in the weeks to come, and their purpose set. The walk back to the stronghold was halted by the applause of those in town, sure that their doom was near. April and the others felt like they were finally making a difference for the first time and were finally in tune with the island.
Over the three sessions feat players are April Airlez, Urkall "Goodwill" Neekrath, Squeeks the Moon Druid, Hideo - Z000, Ashera of The Moon, Faya Wildspring, and introducing Elric - A0919, Gerie Gunthries, and Xanbjorn The Copperborn, as well as The Two.
Comments