Operation Parameters
| Date |
1492 DR, 5 Eleasis
|
| Soldiers |
- Tavvok
- Ayula
- Aceso
- Lorna
- Echo
|
| Status |
|
| Casualties |
None |
Operation Details
Background:
After having a conversation with Durella, the druid in the camp, about the "angry tree" that seems to have a localized storm that surrounds it, she asked to go and see it. A previous group was curious about the tree that lies between the camp and Cobh.
On the morning of the mission, the team gathered by the fire. We went to meet Durella, but she asked for a few minutes to get ready. As we sat by the fire, we noticed there was a faint blue glow towards the east (Coast). After about 10 minutes, we decided to go check if was ready.
When Aceso entered her cabin, Durella was in the corner, and obviously distressed. She didn't to leave her cabin. She saw it as her safe-place, and she was petrified to leave it.
She also had a dream... she said it felt familiar but couldn't tell why. Three was storm with a few people... and everyone was dead. She couldn't understand or comprehend what the dream meant, but she was questioning if it was going to be this journey... "could it have been you?"
Aceso talked with Durella -- mentioning that she seemed quite interested in this tree that was surrounded by storms. We wouldn't force her to go by any means, but that our group would be going with her. That everyone in the group has gone out many times, and while there is a risk in leaving, that it's worth it. That she's helped us in the last little while, and we want to do this for her in return.
While still very scared, she did work up the courage to leave and go on the mission. As she left the threshold of her cabin, she did tense up, but with the support of Aceso and Ayula she left her cabin for the first time in a while.
During the introductions with the party, Durella mentioned a string instrument that she used to love but hadn't heard in a long time. Echo pulled out his dulcimer and began to play. It turns out this was the instrument she recalled, and this seemed to help her as we traveled.
As we traveled toward the tree, Tavvok noticed wolves tracking animals, but they paid no attention to us. At a distance, we noticed a concentrated dark cloud in the distance, before the winds direction and pressure began to change. The clouds seemed to have much more activity in them than normal but they weren't moving at all. A light haze turned into a drizzle before turning into a downpour as we arrived at the tree.
We came to a huge clearing at the center of the storm, that had a strange tree in the center. Durella locked eyes with the tree and took a few steps forward. She raised her hands with the palms toward the tree. She mentioned that she can't tell if this is a protection or a perversion... She was completely fixated on the tree and mentioned that she was here, this was the tree she saw in her dream... or waking dream.
Based on the reports from previous missions, throwing a rock towards the tree would cause them to be stuck by lightning. This was confirmed, and we started looking for a way to safely cross… to no avail. We also tried making a makeshift lightning rod that would float above our heads as we crossed to avoid the lightning, but this "magic" lightning seemed to ignore it.
Tavvok removed all the metal on himself and made a dash toward the tree. He was struck by lightning once but did make it. Ayula used misty step, and a dash to also make it across, but was also hit a few times...
Ayula and Tavvok did some investigating of the tree, and were able to relay some information back to the rest of the party using message. Using detect magic she was able to see that the tree gave off divination, illusionary, and invocation magic. They also found an interesting "rune" of sorts on the north side of the tree... it was a strange symbol of a "Waterfall landing into a still pool"... The symbol for Eldath.
Durella said that in her dream she was examining the tree close up, so she needed to make it across. We decided to have Ayula and Aceso on each side to heal, while Lorna walks across with his glaive above his head and Durella would stay low to avoid the lightning. In the end, Durella made it across without injury, but Lorna just made it across before collapsing... But Ayula was able to get them back up.
While I did not witness the following myself, I've been told that when Durella approached the tree she raised her hand to touch the carving. As her hand approached, a strange swirling began... and a secret passage began to open. All the pollen began getting pulled into the rift, which was strangely dark. Durella believed that there was something of interest to both her and us within.
At this point the rain would decrease, and the lightning would slow. Echo would throw a rock, and it would land without being struck. Echo and Aceso would collect all the items left by Tavvok and cross over to the party.
Talking with Durella, she was adamant that she didn't want to go with into the portal... that she needed to stay behind. We were highly concerned for her safety, but she didn't want anyone to stay either. She said she wanted to stay and hide and that no one should come given the constant storm that usually protects this place. We were still concerned and decided to put Durella's name into Ayula's book so we could continuously check in on her.
She then granted us her protection... green energy enveloped her, and then washed over us. She told us this would allow her to retrieve us. She then said she'd remain hidden, and we went in. Aceso made one last attempt to have her come with us, but she declined.
We landed into what seemed to be calm place with trees with various platforms, ladders, and hallowed out trees. We initially met a lady with a sharp nose, lanky, and gorgeous robe. We learned a few things from her, but she became more and more nervous the more we talked.
This was the "True Grove", the home of Eldath
Doesn't remember when/how she got there
doesn't remember when she last ate...
she told us about the elder, and that she would be somewhere behind the current tree (at the entrance), up a latter, and somewhere on that level.
We then excused ourselves and made our way to find the elder. On the second level, we found a hollowed-out room with an innate crystal. It seemed to have fresh growth... Ayula's detect magic showed illusionary magic glinting around it, but Ayula swore she saw a flash of necromancy...
At this point the party got split into two, with Aceso/Ayula/Tavvok going to the left, while Echo/Lorna went right. The first group came across what seemed to be a café. We sat down and waited for a waiter, and Ayula explained that there was a heavy blanket of enchantment magic across the entire area. We should be cautious just in case it affects everyone... given the strange behavior that we had seen by the first person we met (forgetting odd things).
When the waiter arrived, we asked if he knew where the elder was. He said that the elder was across the branch on the other side... that she was attending to a murder scene. According to him, some sort of demon arrived looking for someone... that it had infected this place.
After meeting back up with the two other members, they informed us that they had been to a library of sorts... but that the books had been scorched, and there was an older man there. He had also talked about an "incident" that had happened recently after other guests had come through. He described them as a strangle blue/grey person; a man with shimmery eyes; a cat person, and a little devil of some sort.
After the other team members rejoined, we went to search out the elder. We checked in with Durella on the way, and she was fine. She also said that "it could not possibly be the True Grove after informing her".
When we arrived at the building, an old woman in a white robe answered. She was the elder but was highly reluctant to talk with us. According to her, the last guests they gave passage to was “answered” by the appearance of a "demon". It appeared looking for those who passed through, turned into a tiger like creature, and had killed her brother. She seemed to think the only reason we were there was to use some sort of "gate" for passage. She also said if we have anything to do with the "Raven's Call", that she wanted nothing to do with us. We tried to explain to her that we no intention of using the gate, and we were only here to help the druid Durella and explained how we had got there. She seemed to have no idea about the tree or Durella... or how we even got there. We made the decision to inform her that we had the suspicions that Durella was really the weakened Eldath, but she did not believe us. We asked what we could do prove our intentions were pure, and that we only wanted to help the person we believed was Eldath, but she didn’t seem interested. We tried to get her to give a question that only Eldath (or a devote worshiper) would know that we could ask Eldath through the book... but she still wasn’t interested. Eventually she did give us water that she claimed was blessed by the mother herself, and said that it would help if it's truly her.
At this point we thanked the elder, and said we'd make our leave as promised. We attempted to contact Eldath via Ayula's book to retrieve us, but there was no answer. We were immediately concerned for her safety, but didn't know how to get back. Eventually we did realize that we could walk through the thick branches we found ourselves tangled in on arrival.
We found ourselves at the tree, but Eldath was gone. Luckily Tavvok was able to see a horse that was running away. Ayula took a shot at the horse, which missed, but got the attention of the rider. He turned and cast something that summoned two vine monsters. Tavvok dashed to the horse and blocked it path. He attempted to push past but failed to get past Tavvok.
The rider jumped off the horse, and retreated, leaving Durella and Tavvok behind with the horse. Durella was unconscious, so Tavvok helped her drink the blessed water we were given that was supposed to help if she was Eldath. Nothing seemed to happen, but a heal from Aceso shortly after seemed to bring her back to consciousness. Tavvok took Durella, and ran her back to Aceso, before engaging into the battle with the vine monsters with the rest of the team. The team destroyed the two vine monsters, followed by the rider. During this time, Aceso stayed close to Durella and protected her.
During the fight, Echo went down as the vine monster smothered him, but it was killed, and Echo was healed before it became a serious issue. As the fight ended, the static electricity seemed to return, and the lightning started again. Luckily the entire team did make out of the lightning; Lorna did go down just as they escaped, but was healed shortly after.
After the fight, Durella told us that someone snuck up on her, and hit her over the head. Tavvok carried her as we returned to the camp. As we walked, Aceso told her about what happened while she was unconscious, including the Eldath water. She seemed to turn green after being told and became weaker as time went on.
When we returned to camp, we brought Durella into her cabin. She quickly fell asleep, but she was very green and sickly. We attempted to do a medical examination, but we couldn't determine much. Aceso ritually casted "Detect Poison and Disease", but when he looked at the druid, all his magic was instantly drained from him... Ayula tried something similar with her detect magic, and she lost all her spells, and became extremely tired...
Out of an abundance of cautious we would recommend no one casts magic in the general vicinity of Durella. In hindsight, it seemed to only be when the magic was directed in her direction, but to be safe we would recommend no one casts magic near her cabin. Aceso and Tavvok will be checking on her hourly to check on her for the foreseeable future.
