Loose Threads: Bloodlasher-filled crevice
Participants: Saorie Tylmae, Taro, Cassiel, Zechariah Cotton
Locations: Spoopy Shack, Willow Creek
Short summary:
A group of Guild Adventurers explored the Millennium Forest. They found Maranthede, the Eldest Bough, who informed them about Willow Creek to the east. The ruined village was visited, and a giant Bloodlasher was slain, alongside Thralls that it created. More of the same was spotted in a gaping pit in the middle of the settlement.
Full report: Tylmae
Tylmae here! Our party decided to explore the Millennium Woods and potentially map some unexplored areas. We left First Landing at a brisk pace, following the path towards the Elemental Shrine. Some tricks were made and laughs were had and then Cassiel found a neat shiny orb. We left the path and made our way to the edge of the woods where the Spoopy Shack was found. We set up camp among the trees and enjoyed a quiet evening.
The next day, we began to reconnoiter the area, staying clear of the shack. Towards the end of the night we set up camp once again. However, before we went to sleep, a sad voice echoed from the forest. At first we thought it was a ghost, but they spoke Sylvan and seemed nice enough. We made our way to the voice and met Maranthede, the Eldest Bough. Emphasis on Eldest. They promised not to turn Cassiel into a tree and we spoke with them at length. They mentioned that there was a smaller folk who used to steal their leaves, but their village mates caught the thief and took them back to their village a centuries walk (at tree-folk speed) in the east. Maranthede also spoke of a strange quiet that would cover the forest punctuated by loud shrieks.
We decided to camp underneath Maranthede’s branches, accompanied by a host of small critters that calls Maranthede’s branches home. We woke up extra refreshed and heard (or rather didn’t) the ominous silence. We made our way to the Village. It only took us a couple hours to arrive at the very tiny and very damaged town of Willow Creek. Taro tried to call out to the townsfolk in Sylvan, but no one answered. In the middle of town was a gaping pit, 10 feet wide and a few feet across. And from that pit emerged a yellow plant monster with a giant flower and waving flowering tentacles Taro called a Bloodlasher. There were also misfigured former townsfolk called Thralls that Taro said were weak to fire but whose touch was bad (which I unfortunately can attest to).
We fought the foes and things started off well, with Taro and Zech. We also learned they were all mindless, which was super frustrating. However, I didn’t realize the Thralls could grab you from a distance and fascinate you on contact. The Bloodlasher launched out pollen, fascinating Taro and Zech as well. The three of us were compelled to move closer to the plant monster, which tried to drill a spike into Zech’s head and make him a Thrall! Luckily, Cassiel was able to weave past the Thralls, dodge their vines, and strike the plant dead.
While I patched up my wounds, Zech looked into the chasm and saw more plant monsters and thralls halfway down the crevice. We went back to Maranthede and then used our recallers that we totally did not forget about to return home.