Loose threads
- The Druids in the Verdant Grove may be hiding something……Their responses to being told the blight had already reached Greenside was too calm.
- The party now knows there is something very wrong with the house spirit bound to the tree, and the cultists involved in prior quests in these woods.
- There is a protection ritual that requires the death of a creature, and the binding of one to the forests. There must be another protection ritual that doesn’t require such pain.
- The creatures around Greenside are gaining sentience…How? Why? They called us ‘Despoilers’.
- The bound house spirit needs to be dealt with, and any cultists involved to stop this blight and any further damage to Greenside and beyond.
- Greenside’s defenses are lacking. If another big assault were to happen, they’d be in danger.
Participants
- Ezekiel Laggrond
- Aznyss Theras
- Zick "Cornbread"
- Warre Silverkin
- Ornek Blacksteel
Locations
- Greenside
- Millennium Forest
Short summary:
The party came together to assist Father Kiril with attempting to investigate the source of the blight that had been creeping into Greenside and killing their crops. After some conversation with the locals, they headed into the Millennium Woods. They found a waylaid scout named Carlos that accompanied them to a strange, angry girl’s hut who explained they had protected themselves from the blight, and a key phrase to keep the vines at bay if we were ever caught. They attempted to leave, but something drew the party back to that hut, only to be ambushed by the Bogey that the party had been warned may still be in these woods. After a brief fight and interrogation, the Bogey was dispatched– directing the party to their next target, the source of the blight at the center of it all, the spirit bound to the tree and the cultists involved in all of it. To Be Continued in Part 2!
Full Report
Scene 1 - Investigation
The Party was brought together by a letter sent to them from Father Kiril and the Explorers' Guild requesting some adventurers to assist in the investigation of a strange blight that had taken root in some of the residents of Greenside Farmstead's crops before it got any worse. After gathering at the Blinking Pug Tavern, the group of Warre Silverkin, Ornek Blacksteel, Ezekiel Laggrond, Aznyss Theras and Zicksplit up to cover more ground and do some research before setting out to Greenside. Part of the group went to the Explorer’s Guild and poured over the quest reports and found little of the blight, but that the Millennium Forest around Greenside had been home to much activity. The other part of the group made their way to the The Verdant Call, speaking with the Druids there. They seemed unsurprised about the news of the blight reaching Greenside, and the party felt they were hiding some information from the new adventurers. On returning to the Pug, they met Young Elder, who provided some insights about the woods- reports of unusually aggressive wildlife, animals attacking without apparent hunger and a possible magical influence at play. With that, the party set out to Greenside.
Scene 2 - Almost, and Greenside
With what little information they had gathered, the party set off toward Greenside. Along the way, they encountered increasingly unnatural behavior in the local wildlife. Small animals such as squirrels and spiders attacked in organized swarms, their eyes glowing with an eerie red light. After a hard-fought battle, the group identified some kind of lingering magic on the creatures. Ezekiel specifically experienced a wave of intense sadness at his investigation, believing a more sinister force was at work.
Almost to Greenside at night, howls were heard coming from the surrounding woods on the road. Red, glowing eyes could be seen watching them from the darkness. With the town’s light visible, they opted to push towards a safe and easily defend-able position on a hillside. They bested most of the sentient wolves before one called them Despoilers, running off and promising revenge for what they had done. They camped for the night, made their way to Greenside come morning and made note of the ramshackle defenses that Greenside had at their gates.
Scene 3 - Kiril, The Blight and the Missing Scouts
The party met with Father Kiril at last, who unfortunately confirmed their fears. The blight was encroaching rapidly, the soil was becoming unusable, and the wildlife around the town was becoming increasingly more and more aggressive and resilient. Once again the party split up to gather some additional information. Those who went into the town to investigate the cultist activity didn’t find much until they spoke with Murom, who gave them some information about the House Spirit, and the diary from Dumchik that contained information about a ritual that wasn’t complete. Ezekiel and the others met with Father Kiril’s grand-daughter in the fields to find out more about the current status. There Ezekiel closely investigated the blight, upon touching it he felt intense fear and anxiety. Warre found out more about the missing scouts, that some had recently set out to find the others. The party returned, sharing their findings and noting that it was time for them to take their investigation to the woods.
Scene 4 - The Cabin in the Woods
They broke into the forest at first light the next day. Their investigation led them deep into the forest, where they encountered increasingly strange happenings. Patches of the forest ground were entirely withered, marked by strange fungal circles. A fight broke out between the group and a series of sentient vines. It was a hard fought battle which the party came out on top of, but not worse for wear. They saved one of the missing scouts- Carlos, who told them he had followed after the party shortly after they left, against Kiril’s wishes. They healed up and kept going deeper into the woods. Almost immediately after, they found themselves in the same mazelike illusionary trap that Carlos had made note of previously. Approaching with caution, and with the help of Cornbread’s knowledge of hunting trails, they were able to make their way to a Cabin in the middle of the woods. Inside, they met a child-like entity that they assumed was Fey who admitted to using the illusory magic to defend themselves from the blight and creatures that would harm them in the woods. While it was hesitant to offer up much information outside of how to stop the plants if they ever got too hostile again, it did offer shelter in exchange for a trade: safety for the evening if they could capture one of the wolves and bring it to them. The party didn’t accept or decline, instead attempting to strike a truce. This angered the Fey but it agreed if only because they were bothersome and it wanted them out of their cabin- so the party exited, staying within the Fey’s wards for as long as possible, discussing the creature’s motivations and what to do next. Ezekiel took some time to make specific note of the wards around the property.
Scene 5 - Keen Claws and Cornbread on the Floor
Realizing that the hospitality offered by the Fey is on shaky ground already, they opted to travel deeper into the woods in an attempt to locate the other missing Scouts and source of the blight. They don’t get far before Carlos notices that there were several lanterns in the blight affected woods, hanging there attached to nothing. A fight breaks out- the fey creature had come out of its home and showed its true form as a Unknown. The fight was drawn out and tough- the Bogey itself seemed to seek out Zick immediately, downing them, and attempting to flee from the battlefield. The rest of the party moved quickly, Warre getting Cornbread back up and chasing after the Bogey into the woods. They jumped and hopped through the blight-thicket chasing the creature, Zick unfortunately falling once more to the plant-traps that the Bogey was able to utilize in their domain. A well used “SALAD!” kept the vines at bay, allowing the group to gain some more ground. Aznyss was able to get the upper hand in the chase, taking a shortcut around and tackling the beast, slowing them down enough for the group to catch up and overtake the bogey, Zick’s locked jaw finds an opening and takes the creature out once and for all, ending the chase.
Scene 6 - Finale
The Bogey, even outnumbered and exhausted, still continued to lie and attempt to save itself. They were able to get some information from it regarding a ritual it could teach the party- it would take the death of a creature, and the binding of another to the forest to save Greenside’s crops. The Bogey didn’t seem like it was involved in the blight, or whatever was giving the wolves sentience. The illusions and turning the woods into a maze was their trap, and had been used to kill several of the scouts that entered their domain as an attempt to evolve to their next form, their next level of power. Their bodies were later found in the Cabin as expected by the party, as well as several pieces of loot the Bogey was hoarding.
After finding the bodies and allowing Carlos to dispatch the Bogey, the party decided to finally loot the cabin, and work with Carlos to get the remains back home. Thinking back to the original investigation they did at the Explorer’s Guild looking at prior quest reports, it seems like these events may have been linked to the previous Greenside quests Trouble at the Farmstead and potentially Shadows of Greenside.