Dark Tides, Session 3 Report

General Summary

Ruins of Yasol

In the ruins below the ancient city of Yasol, the group quickly dispatches the lingering threat that they awoke when looting the royal chambers of the once great civilisation. They gather up the remaining gems, gold and unidentified magical items and head upwards again. Passing the altar, with the remaining keystones still unused, most likely still scattered somewhere in the world. A mystery for another time. 
Upstairs in the basin of the ruined throne room they reunite with Azura, and strangely enough the half-ork barbarian Henk. Who sought them out after scouting the outskirts of the forest for answers to the corrupting nature of this blight. Discovering that many people have gone missing over the years, leaving the small villages in the proximity of the forest vacant and empty.
After another nights rest in the ork stronghold, they get ready to set out for the source of the disease that have taken hold over the old woods. Just before they do so, they seek out the orc shaman Oruk, who they befriended over a spirited drinking contest a couple of nights before. 
They find him sitting at a small fire within a large red tent. Here he invites them to join him at the holy fire, gesturing them to seek its wisdom. They all focus around the flames. 
Henk is brought to the forefront of the trauma that still haunts him. When he lost his friends and fellow mercenaries in a battle against some horrendous beast or monster, still unknown to him. Leaving him the only survivor. 
Edwald is faced with the turning of nature around him, as he experience the strange and frightening change that he has witnessed during his long journey from circus child to now. 
Lastly Dankil is haunted by the banging sound of an echoing hammer ringing against metal, banging louder and louder somewhere within his very soul. Almost like it is bending his body and will to its violence and purpose. 
As they are about to leave the tent, Oruk tells them about a visitor at their camp, not long ago. Some dark hooded person, with skin like a corpse and eyes vacant like the very abyss. He didn't explain his purpose or desires, only that he sought something, somewhere. Nobody, not even their camp chieftain Yadba Blackhide, dared challenge the stranger. Oruk warns the group, that if they were to meet this fellow, they should tread cautiously.  
They stand at the precipice of the ruins, ready to head out. A small raven watching them from a nearby branch to the creeping horror of Levi, who still feel his left hand growing cold from time to time.   
The darkness envelopes them, as they disappear within the cave like formations of the trees ahead, growing ever closer. At a point, after a half days journey, they begin to hear the faint whisper of voices. 3 members of the group pale with an unknown expression, as they start walking in strange directions drawn by some invisible hand. Hundreds of small chaotic footprints trail the ground they walk upon, all heading west. 
Before the 3 seemingly magically infused guys are swallowed by the dark brush around them, the remaining still clear headed companions forces them out of their state of dissolution, and they all carefully head further in. 

The Dragon Boneyard

They arrive at a small forced clearing in the woods, spread with large craters, huge bone fragments, and the remains of old siege equipment. At the center, they see the skeleton of a dragon, lying buried in vines, roots and mud. 
Within its mouth they discover a small campsite, not fit for a human, but someone smaller. As they sneak forward to rummage through the camp, they trigger some glyph drawn in the soil. A small explosion of light green energy almost paralyses a couple of them, but they manage to quickly shake the effect off. Just as a small red orb flyes furiously in between them and explodes in a large ball of fire. Revealing a gnome dressed in the attire of a wizard. The group scatters severely burned and marked by the spell, only Azura remains somewhat untouched despite being at the center of the blast. Strangely - and unknown to her - she seems to be resistant to fire. 
Paranoid he charges another fireball and demands that they state their business. With the hostilities slowly fading, the weapons and spells are put aside. Bernard, as he introduces himself proudly, a fleeing wizard from the Crimsonkeep collage nearby, calls forth his familiar. A small Psuedodragon that adeptly lands on his shoulder named Boris. 
He explains that he had a falling out with the archmages of the collage, who began doing experiments on patients from mental-wards and the like. He disagreed with their methods, seeing them loosing their morals and ethics for some hidden gain. Seeking answers to questions that they refused to share. Now he just wants to get home, hoping to find a still active way into the Feywild, from which his people once heralded from. No luck so far, he is heading further south.
They ask him if he knows anything about the strange blight of the forest. He recommends that they avoid it, The Gulthias Tree as it is known. A type of growth that spouts from crevices of festering evil, a seed once planted within the soil of horrendous and terrible acts. He explains that the ground on which they stand, has for many thousands years been home to battles and inexplicable violence and terror. As such evil breeds evil. Things like this is best left untouched, as there always exists a chance of making things much worse. 

The Gulthias Tree

They camp together with the gnome, who refuses to join them in their quest. He wished them luck, as they journey towards the roots of corruption. 
A small trek later they arrive to the festering swamp that surrounds a group of islands. The largest, at its center, growing this huge tree that seems to swallow the light that tries to reach it. The swamp is brown with viscus and strange liquids. A scattering of bones and living remains jut up from its mass. Once again they hear the echoing of voices and some within the group seems drawn to the tree like flyes. As they walk forward seemingly in trance they step into the swamp, revealing that it's violently acidic. The damage quickly taking them out of the trance. 
They search around the edge of the deadly terrain looking for a safe way across. It brings them to the base of a series of collapsed trees and buildings, that might allow them passage with a few daring jumps. Just as they are about to get ready the forest moves behind them, as a large group of twig and needle blights assault them, forcing them to hurry across. Benedict and Dankil stands at the rear, holding the enemies at bay. With Azure throwing firebolts against whomever attacks. Edwald turns into a spider, as he, Henk and Levi begin jumping from platform to platform. Some more adept than others, as Henk lands face first into the acidic mass beneath, getting burned allover. As they reach the next safe island between them and the tree, a couple of zombies crawl through the swamp and attacks them, as two large tentacle arms reach through and grapples them with crushing strength.
The situation grows more and more dire, as they fight the approaching horde from behind and leap across the acid. Henk is grappled by one of the tentacles, but cuts is off with one fell swing from his greatsword. As it draws back, he grabs the stumped arm and uses its backwards motion to throw himself over the waters towards a burrowed log, landing safely. 
Benedict tries to follow suit with a jump of his own, but trips and rolls through the acid swamp, that slowly draws him beneath its surface. With a nearby tentacle pushing him down he screams in fury and pain, with small lines of burning vapours sounding out around his melting silhouette.
By the graze of a nearby ally the tentacle is killed, and with his remaining strength Benedict forces himself out of peril. He and Edwald work together to take down a nearby tree, using its body to make the jump safely across. With Azura and Dankil in tove. 

One by one they all make it across and the fighting seems to die down, as silence once more takes the scene. No wind, no screams or yells, just silence. This is the moment they look closer at the tree in front of them, seeing it for what it is. A wall of bodies morphed into the appearance of a tree. The voices again pushes upon their ailing sanity, like a choir. A base form rhythm just beneath, the beating of a heart within, coming from the tree itself. They scan the many faces frozen in pain and horror, finding three of them to be familiar. A dwarf that they have seen on an old picture in the house of Power Keeper Gallen - the man who hired them - it speaks out: ''Why did you leave me Gallen...? Why did you betray me?''.
Another face is that of an elf, much like Edwald seemingly a druid, with an amulet around his neck bearing the mark of the druid. 
The last one is only known to one among the group, a young face, shaped to the same likeness as Benedict... 

As they all stand silently taking it in, deciding within themselves what to do next, a being rises from the crown of the tree. A round mass of green skin, a huge mad eye in its center above a row of sharp teeth formed in a terrifying grin. 4 tentacles sprouting from its body, each with an eye of its own... As it is about to attack, the swamp behind them moves and shifts once more...

Rewards Granted

Identified Magical Items:
Azura: Headband of Intellect
Levi: 1500 xp
Azura: 1300 xp
Dankil: 1500 xp
Edwald: 1450 xp
Henk: 1000 xp
Benedict: 1650 xp

Campaign

Confined to Waves of Woe

Protagonists

Travok Dankil

Levi The forgotten

Azura Fireborn

Edwall Evergreen

Report Date

10 Aug 2023

Primary Location

The Lazarus Forest

Secondary Location

Republic of Fratania

Related Plots

• The Blight Cometh
• The Druids Call

Related Characters

• Bernard Clovis
• Gallen Shroud
• Oruk Mistborn
• Travok Dankil