14. The Hanging Tree

General Summary

Written by: Tuzi Ren
Whilst recovering in Trinity, the BBC learned that the Federation had been attacking the south, and their forces seemed to be heading straight for the city of Hope, the capital of the Empire. They also learned the Federation forces were accompanied by a white dragon during their recent attack on Lightning Bluffs to the north, but were all slain by the defenders of the town. However, with the more pressing news of a Hanging Tree strewn with lifeless bodies, the BBC set out to confront whatever dark ritual the Sons of Avlar had concocted deep in the woods.
After days of travel through dense, ancient forests, they arrived at a man-made clearing. In the centre stood the Hanging Tree itself, its foliage deep shades of red and orange, and its branches heavy with hundreds of ropes dangling a corpse at the end of each. At the base of the tree camped an organised force—the Sons of Avlar, more than a hundred strong, eyes glinting with both purpose and madness.
Shortly after their arrival, the banner re-encountered General Faux leading his band of orcs, who advised of their upcoming assault on the camp. The BBC were directed to attack the flank whilst the orcs would strike the front.
In the spirit of comradery, the orcs declared they wanted to gift the BBC “one of their own.” The orcs stepped aside to reveal an unprecedented sight: a tiny red-headed faerie, Aurelia, mounted on a corgi by the name of Lewis. Aurelia, princess of the Faerie Courts, greeted the group with a "What’s up." Lewis barked enthusiastically, a most unexpected ally in the midst of such grim preparations.
Things quickly escalated.
In a rush of panic, one guard broke away to sound the alarm, but Roknar was quicker, his fist crashing into the guard’s skull, killing on impact. Orwin sought to follow but, upon stepping out from the tree line, unknowingly activated a rune on a rock, which shot sleet and frost hitting himself and Aldan.
Lucian made a beeline for a nearby cart of soul crystals, but his ambition nearly cost him his life. A bolt of lightning struck him dead on, yet he managed to grab six shimmering gems before falling to the ground. Tuzi, realizing her acupuncturist background could help administer first aid, rushed to heal him. Although, his relief was short-lived. The fallen tree Elara had lit was also engraved with a rune, which, upon activation, exploded within range of Lucian and Orvasa.
With no more guards at the back entrance and no more runes to set off, the group pushed forward towards the centre of the camp. They witnessed the decaying remains of those once hung from the tree in a careless pile—limbs, severed heads, and a putrid stench. At the base of the tree were three cages, containing live prisoners, some notably from Ages Terra.
"Seeeeee!" declared Roknar, content to prove the Orcs were not responsible for the decimation of Buffman’s hometown.
Suddenly, five armed Sons of Avlar cultists charged forward. Perched atop ruins of a crumbled building, three more cultists, including the leader, began to cast some rather inconvenient spells. One conjured a fireball, hurling towards the group.
The lead cultist cried out, "Please, let’s talk, maybe we can work something out!" A strange urge gripped Orvasa and Aldan, compelling them to consider the leader’s words. "Guys," Orvasa said, "I think we should listen to him. He’s making some great points." But before they could act on these oddly persuasive words, Roknar was already charging forward, his fists flying, taking off the head of one cultist in a single punch. Aldan followed suit, slicing another down with brutal efficiency.
Aurelia sent a scorching blast of fire towards two of the cultists, while Tuzi summoned a ghostly rabbit to scurry up the ruins and infect the lead cultist with minor scurvy.
The magic of the battle escalated quickly. A Brimorak, a fiery demon with the head of a goat, clawed its way out of a circle summoned by a demonologist among the spellcasting cultists.
Orvasa shot energy beams towards it but was forced to dodge the Brimorak’s fiery swipes. Aldan was not so lucky, and though he avoided the demon's attack, its breath unleashed a cloud of black smoke that nearly suffocated him. Aurelia, new but certainly not shy, insulted the Brimorak so fiercely that the monster was offended to the point of physical harm.
Meanwhile, Lucian was moving toward the prisoners' cages, convinced he had heard someone call out his name. An arm shot out at him from behind the bars, and he was entirely taken aback to see the face of his real, biological mother, Valeria. "Kill the demonologist, son," she said, "and the Brimorak will perish."
Having just climbed atop the same platform as the demonologist, Roknar found himself the subject of a nasty curse, rendered helpless by uncontrollable laughter and wobbled toward the edge of the ledge. He fell. Wasting no time on his back, he immediately launched himself back onto the ledge, “Miss me?” and landed two brutal punches ending the demonologist.
With the demon's summoner slain, the Brimorak vanished, leaving only scorched earth in its wake.
But the battle was far from over. The Cultist Leader screamed for his minions to fight on.
Two more cultists appeared, one instantly killed by a rapid firing of Tuzi’s acupuncture needles, the other by a swift blow of Aldan’s axe.
Orwin teleported a mirror version of himself to the top of the ruins, shooting the other spellcaster who had a strange trip-part mask. Lucian knocked the fat, ugly cult leader from the ruins’ edge with a hydraulic push spell. Despite his fatness, the leader marraciuliosly managed to cling onto a ledge with one hand. Orvasa, understanding perfectly what this situation required, performed a flamboyant flourish that incited such awe and admiration from the leader that he felt compelled to clap—falling instantly and crashing into the ground below.
And yet he wasn’t dead. But almost.
After a final, chaotic series of actions involving shots fired from Elara, a mentally destabilizing spell from Lucian, and a horde of clawing and gnawing rabbits, the leader was finally about to be finished by Roknar’s stomp. But Roknar’s foot hit the bare ground upon the realization that the leader had teleported to the other side of the camp.
Elara yelled at the nearby Orc Band to pursue him, but Orwin shot a fireball, burning the cult leader to the ground. Although, still without the wand’s password, Orwin was also sizzled to a crisp.
Meanwhile, Aurelia freed many of the prisoners from their cages and they scattered in every direction. “You’re welcome?” she questioned, insulted by the lack of gratitude, and then performed a very decent backflip. With the cultists defeated, the camp was left in ruins. The Sons of Avlar scattered, and the BBC were left standing victorious—but weary.
The group was rewarded with plenty of gold pieces found in the pockets of dead cultists and also found the Shining Silver Plate Mail of Aegistera, a Clandestine Cloak, the Corpseward Pendant and a Ring of the Ram. They also took the mask from the spellcaster, revealed to be the Shattered Crown.
By the end of the fierce battle, the world seemed to blur as Lucian stood before her—his real mother, Valeria. Tears brimmed in both their eyes, the moment carrying the weight of years lost and dreams dashed. Words failed him, his mind a storm of questions and emotions. But before he could speak, her eyes shifted from love to urgency, her voice trembling.
“Lucian, Trinity is in danger. We need to talk.” She pressed a worn key into his hand, gripping it tightly. “Isabella is about to change the direction of this election, this war. You... you and your friends, must, stop her.”
The gravity of her words hung in the air like a thundercloud, and with that, the path ahead became darker still.
To be continued...