Previously: Chapter 60: Sanctuary
Restoring the Sanctuary
The next morning, as the others in the community begin to wake up, they see Elmroot dancing, fanning leaves and sticks, around in the middle of the sanctuary, using her magic to restore the nature around her. The effects can already be seen, as fresh green grass comes sprouting up and out from beneath the snow. Nature is healing, and the large home tree the sanctuary is formed around begins to regrow its leaves.
Kal, having not received any response form Udall when asking for a protector that can help the sanctuary, begins walking around the area to see if anyone is in need of any assistance or healing. Unusually, nobody in the sanctuary seems to be suffering from any ailments. Everyone is in tip top shape, apart from being exhausted, so she heads over to Raindrop to see if there is anything useful that can be learned from his cooking.
Raindrop takes a look at her, and then takes her hand, dragging her into the forest. After walking away from the sanctuary, he sticks his hands into the dirt beneath a tree, and drags out some beautiful mushrooms, telling her that when dried, they are delicious as a topping for food. Kal tastes one of them, and can feel that they definitely has some magical effects, but will probably need drying to extract the effect. She thanks Raindrop for the help, and they both walk back, mushrooms in hand.
Penny, who has been sitting in her parents Elmwood and Leyla's house eating breakfast with them, talks to them about her travels some more. They both seem to think that Penny’s new friends are an… interesting bunch, but that they seem to be nice enough. They are particularly fascinated by Relic, a creature they have never even heard of before. They want to know if Penny is safe, and Penny thinks back to all the times that she has been wounded, hurt, maimed, amputated and killed, before trying to relieve them by saying that they don’t have to worry. She continues to tell them about their journeys, and how important it is to stop Vuthul. Her parents were hoping that she was back for good, but seeing how vital the mission is, they tell her that she will always be welcome back home.
Relic, having recharged, wanders around the sanctuary to try to examine the nature of the magic in the area. After a short examination, he discovers that the giant tree that looms over the sanctuary is of a type that doesn’t really grow this large, but apparently Gleamshroud’s magic has accelerated its growth. A tiefling comes up to Relic, curious as to his nature, and asks what he likes to eat or drink, and is shocked when Relic replies that he really doesn’t consume sustenance, but has been known to enjoy a good ale once in a while, being from a dwarven society and all. This lit a fire in the tieflings eyes, and he tells Relic that he has to come and try some of his homebrewed ale. Relic reluctantly comes along, and joins a drinking party of tieflings sitting in the barn. The ale that is presented is mediocre at best, but Relic plays nice and joins them. Being warforged, he outdrinks them all, and eventually sits around a group of semi-conscious or blacked out drunk tieflings, sipping on a mid-tier ale.
After breakfast, Penny decides to go check up on Perry, who has not come out of his cabin yet. As she opens the door, a few books come tumbling out, and inside Perry is sleeping while hunched over a large tome that he has been scouring through. Not wanting to wake him, she just finds a cozy spot, and begins to examine the Tome of charisma and leadership, getting in a few hours, finding that although she cannot read properly yet, the tome seems to be helping her understand it. After a few hours, Perry slowly wakes up, cracking his back from his uncomfortable position, and groggily says hello to Penny. Having found what he was looking for, he tells her that Gleamshroud was mentioned once in passing in a history book about the Empire of Moroxia. All it says is that Gleamshroud was an “important figure in the Ironwing Dominion'', and in the same paragraph tells that the last king, William Meadowstone was killed along with his wife and Illythia Meadowstone, and the king’s corpse was strung up on a fountain by the new queen Syele Bouchard, the first queen of Moroxia. A grim story indeed. Penny shudders at the thought, and is a bit disappointed about how little is known about Gleamshroud.
As it has been a few hours, Penny and Perry both emerge from the cabin and find that Dandelion is finished with her ritual. She sits on the ground, exhausted by the constant dancing over the last eight hours, and asks if anyone has a tankard of warm milk. Raindrop helpfully emerges from the barn, tankard in hand, helping her up. Kal suggests that they should gather people in the barn and have a feast with some live music, and Penny is more than happy to oblige. Dandelion talks a bit with Valthrae who actually makes an appearance, thanking her for looking after Argus and Ira. Valthrae says that they were the best guests, and that she didn’t overfeed them, and was surprised to find Argus to be quite a capable whistler, much to Ira’s resentment. As people come to join the festivities, Penny is playing music on her viol, and eventually animates it so that it continues playing while she joins the conversation.
As the evening progresses, the party gathers together to discuss if anyone has any ideas about finding a new guardian for the sanctuary. Remembering back to when she saw the large gold dragon in Tempervale, Penny takes out her monocular and scans the room. She is surprised to find that Valthrae, the drow, is heavily scarred on the side of her face and down her chest. Penny walks over to her, asking what has happened to her, and realizing that Penny knows, she just tells her that it is a result of the cruel overworld encountering something they don’t understand. Valthrae harbors no resentment, but Penny is saddened by how evil the world can be. Valthrae tells her to let it go, like she has. Penny hugs her, and talks some more to her, before returning to the rest.
Kal decides to take a shot at sending a sending to Silas Wayfarer, as something is obviously off with him. She gets a reply that he really doesn’t meddle in mortal affairs to that extent, but that she should ask her god for guidance instead. Relic also suggests The Monk that they encountered in the Steps of Aranon, as she supposedly is an avatar of Azuna. Penny sends a sending to Morgan, but he cannot think of any good candidates in the area. Several options come up, the best one seems to be to head to the Tomb of Maravin, as it is literally touched by a god, so a divine intervention would have a bigger chance of succeeding within. They can also try to track down the golden dragon Penny saw in Tempervale, or even go to the shrine of Faunus that Dandelion learned of and ask Faunus himself.
Kal decides to do a divination to ask for guidance from the big man himself. She goes straight to the point, asking if he has any guardians that can be helpful in the area, and gets a reply that several candidates are around, but the strongest would be east of their current location, if they follow the road. They eventually decide to head south towards Eilian and Maravin’s tomb first, and then head east if needed. As the day draws to a close, the party goes to sleep one last time before leaving the sanctuary for now.
Across the Plains
The next morning, they wake up bright and early, ready to depart with their horses. Dandelion tries to explain to the horses what is going to happen, so that they aren’t spooked. Diamond seems to be quite afraid of heights, but Dandelion promises that it will be okay. Penny gives her parents a big hug, saying that she will be back, as Dandelion begins casting the spell, slowly turning everyone in the party into wisps of clouds. The whole sanctuary is fascinated by the sight, and before leaving, several in the party dance around as clouds, stirring up the leaves and snow, before shooting to the skies.
The journey south goes pretty much without a hitch. The party and horses follow Dandelion, as she can sense when the spell ends, and will shoot down to the ground before they fall. Across the vast plains they see that the snow is absent, meaning they have reached the warmer climate of the south. Below them, Dandelion sees several tribes of horse riders and centaurs that roam the plains, as they were warned about before. Far to the west, where two rivers meet, the large ruins of Swellingstrum can be seen, and remnants of another ruin, Umbernaulde, is directly below them. The landscape is scattered with other strongholds and ruins that have been abandoned due to time.
Eventually, in front of them, the Calm Tops comes into view, with the blood red forest at its base, signaling that they are getting close to their destination. After a few more hours, crossing the mountain, Dandelion can sense that her spell is waning, and so begins to descend towards the ground, the rest of the group following behind. They descend through the thick treetops, arriving on the forest floor just in time. Having traveled for the last eight hours, even in cloud form, the party is tired, and so decides to sit down to have dinner, while Dandelion tries to commune with nature in order to get the lay of the land. She discovers that there are powerful undeads present all around them, and there are a few buildings a couple of miles to the south-west. She also learns that the trees are extremely ancient, and magical.
After eating, they tell the horses to be careful and quiet, as they don’t want to disturb whatever is around them, as they head southwest towards the building Dandelion sensed. Relic and Kal look around for any sign of civilization, but cannot find anything. Penny and Dandelion however look up towards the treetops, and see several structures built into the sides of the trees, with walkways that connect them. They have reached their first destination.
Eilian
The party approaches the road that runs through the city that can now be seen, and finds one of several staircases that leads up to the main city. Several travelers are coming and going, with a small path leading south that seems to be absent. The horses are placed at one of several stables that have been placed on the forest floor, and afterwards the party approaches a guard that is keeping watch over people who enter the stairs. She asks the guard if there is anything they should know, if they can use magic etc, and magic is allowed, as long as it isn’t used to harm others. They tell the guard that they wish to venture into the Bloodwoods, and are told that they then should speak with Lady Nyreen, the Leafwarden of the Bloodwoods. Dandelion asks if they have heard about Faunus, and is delighted to hear that yes, Faunus is a known figure that they sometimes give prayers to, and that it is more common here in the south rather than the north. Dandelion thanks the guard for her help, ready to venture into the city. Penny takes one look at the stairs and says “fuck that”, creating a large platform that can hold the entire party, and animates it to use as a makeshift levitator to get them to the top.
When they reach the city proper, they see several walkways that cross over and under each other, several large structures that have been built straight into the large trees. The biggest of them all, the Heart Tree, has a big panoramic structure near the tops, supposedly where the Leafwarden resides. There is also a market where people can be seen preparing for the evening sales, as well as an open air tavern nearby. One thing that draws their attention however is a large tree-trunk, where several people seem to be wandering about, that has a statue in the middle of it. It appears to be a woman with a spear.
The party heads over to what they learn is the Grove of Memories, and Kal immediately recognizes the statue as that of Maravin. The plaque seems to confirm this, as it says “Maravin, Daughter of Eilian, Guardian of All”. The people around seem to be giving offerings to small stones that are embedded into the trunk of the tree, and they see several of the stones glow when touched by the visitors. Relic can remember something about Eilian being an ancient city founded by an elf known as Caelum, who is buried beneath the Heart Tree. The deceased elves are buried beneath the forest, who then become part of the collective knowledge of the city.
Dandelion asks several of the people visiting the shrine if they have heard about Faunus, and they indeed are familiar with him, as they sometimes pray to him for protection, looking at Faunus as a sort of forest god, not exclusive to Faunus’ Forest, which delights Dandelion. She asks another visitor what the deal with the crystals are, and is told that each crystal or stone represents a deceased loved one that has been buried beneath the Bloodwoods. She then asks if anyone can place a stone, and is told that yes, as long as she has the loved one in mind when placing the stone, the Bloodwoods can choose to accept it, making it a part of the grove. She is offered a small emerald, but takes out a pretty rock she has picked up herself during her travels, and walks over to the walls. She holds the stone to the wood, and thinks about Fie. To her relief, the stone appears to be accepted, as it is slightly pushed into the wood, which grows around it, holding it in place.
Kal looks around for anyone to ask about the statue, and finds a young looking elf in pure white clothes that appears to be tending to the gardens. He tells her that Maravin is a hero of Eilian, who saved the world a few thousand years ago, but that he knows not the exact deeds she did, other than it being important. He says that he heard that she helped “bring back the light”, whatever that means. Kal realizes that since it has been so long, and that knowledge of Vuthul was suppressed and forbidden, it is not surprising that people don’t know-
While the others have been in the grove, Penny decides to check out the open air tavern, The Moonlit Pavilion, to see if she can find any interesting figures or some good ale. Dandelion notices her leaving, and follows her in case she gets into trouble. Penny scans the room, which is a large circular open air chamber, stage in the center surrounded by a bar upon which an elf is currently playing the violin, tables and couches scattered all around, with a couple of balconies on either side of the room. To her great surprise, she can see Delphine sitting by a table to the side. She sits down to talk to her.
Delphine seems to be surprised to see Penny, and asks how she is doing. Penny just asks what she is doing her, implying that she wants to know if she is following them, but Delphine replies that she is here on important spy business, waiting for a contact, asking what they are doing here. Penny replies that they are looking for something, but doesn’t elaborate.
Delphine can sense that Penny seems to be both rejuvenated, but also with a hint of sadness, asking if she is all right. Penny dodges the question, but asks if Delphine knows if she has heard about Edenflower, and where they can be acquired. Delphine tells her that it is a particularly difficult flower to work with, as it is quite rare and fragile, but if anyone has one, it would be in the gardens of Seraphina, the Summer Queen of the Feywild. Penny asks where she can be found, and Delphine tells her that her castle, if it can be called that, would be located near The Northern Fort. Penny thanks her for her help, and leaves her alone, as Delphine says that her contact should be arriving soon. Dandelion, who has been watching the interaction, waits for Penny, as they return to the others who remain near the grove.
The Leafwarden
When Penny and Dandelion return to the others, Kal shoots a sending to Thervan, letting him know that they have reached Eilian. He replies that he will be there shortly, as they wander over to the Heart Tree to speak to the Leafwarden. When they get to the large double doors that leads into the tree, they are stopped by two guards who tell them that the Lady is done with public appearances for the day, but a familiar voice from behind tells them that they are with him, and that they should let them pass. The guards ask who he is, and he replies that he is the Elder Archmage Thervan Avalast, and that they don’t want the Lady to know that they kept him from important business. This seems to convince them, and they are allowed to enter. When they get inside and the doors are closed, Thervan reveals that he didn’t think that would work.
The party ascend the stairs, and walk past a couple of guards that seem to be guarding the main chambers of the Leafwarden. Within, a large circular table dominates the center of the room, with large windows providing a panoramic view of the city below. The Lady Nyreen sits by the table, with an elven sentinel standing behind her. The sentinel puts her hand on her sword, telling them that the lady is done with public appearances for the evening, but Lady Nyreen tells her guard “Stand down Taliel, I’m sure this won’t take long”. The Leafwarden goes up to the throne that has been grown into the wall to the back of the room, and sits down, gesturing for the party to come forward. Thervan stays behind, watching the negotiations.
Lady Nyreen asks them what their business is in Eilian, and what she can do to help. Kal goes forward, telling the Lady that she is on a quest to follow in Maravin’s footsteps, and wishes to visit her grave to pay respects. Nyreen seems to be cautious about her intentions, asking her what she intends to do when she arrives at the grave. Kal thinks for a second, replying that she will not do anything that Udall has not asked her to do, which is true, but doesn’t reveal that she intends to acquire Stormseeker. This seems to satisfy Lady Nyreen, who tells the party that they have her blessing to venture into the Bloodwoods, but that she wishes them luck in finding the grave, as nobody alive knows where it is. The party questions how that can be, to which the Lady tells them that her grave used to be beneath the tallest tree in the Bloodwoods, but as Udall struck his lightning, it stunted its growth, hiding it from view. It has since been lost to time, as the Bloodwoods are dangerous to venture into.
The party asks if they can visit the Seer, as they have been told that she may help reveal more information about Maravin and her grave, and she tells them that it should be fine. The Seer rests beneath the Heart Tree, and her entrance can be found on the forest floor. Relic asks if they can use feather fall to descend, not wanting to take the stairs, which should be fine. As the party prepares to leave, she tells the party that they should visit the priestess of the Bloodwoods to receive their blessings, and to tell the people at the Moonlit Pavilion that they are her guests, so they will get accommodations if needed. Thervan gestures to the party that they did good.
The Seer
When they leave the Leafwarden, Thervan says that the party did good, and he is glad he didn’t have to intervene or help out. The party decides to go straight to the Seer, so Thervan tells them that he will be going to the tavern for some R&R, before returning to Ravenforge in the morning. The party walks to one of the railings and jumps off, casting feather fall to safely descend, much to the shock and horror of bystanders.
When they reach the forest floor, it is beginning to become dark, so they quickly look around for the entrance, finding it on the north side of the Heart Tree. It seems to be just a doorway into the ground, and within they see that one of the roots of the Heart Tree have extended out to make a natural pathway to the underground chamber. When they venture through it, reaching the end, they see a dimly lit chamber with a single, young looking elven woman, blindfolded, with black liquid pouring down like tears on her cheeks.
The Seer gestures at the party to sit down and join her, telling them to form a circle, so that they can talk to the dead. The party sits down, holding hands, with the Seer seemingly waiting for something. Dandelion carefully speaks up, asking about Maravin and her weapon, Stormseeker. As soon as the words leave her mouth, the room becomes pitch black, and they can feel themselves being dragged into another state of consciousness. The room becomes a void, with white liquid-like smoke flowing around them, but they cannot see each other.
The white smoke forms a figure, which turns out to be Maravinby the looks of it, flanked by three other figures, two elves, one firbolg. They can hear a disembodied voice telling them about Maravin.
"Ah, Maravin, the Chosen of Udall, she who bore the Stormseeker. Her fate is known to the branches of the Bloodwoods and whispered by the winds of Eilian. Yet, the lightning's dance was not hers alone to lead. With her, traveled souls of harmony, of rooted wisdom, and shadowed lore, each carrying a weight of immense power—artifacts, akin to her own, destined to sway the balance.
Together, they faced a darkness that sought to swallow all lights. The artifacts they bore are shrouded in mysteries as profound as the enigmas of the gods who granted them. Know that the tale of Maravin is but a single thread in a tapestry woven by these extraordinary souls.
Seek the stream that feeds the Yearning Waters. She rests at its source."
Intrigued by the reveal of other members of the party, they try to focus on the other figures, getting a little more information about each of them. They first focus on one of the elven figures, the one that looks feminine. The figure becomes clearer, and a Lirael Silversong appears, with blonde hair and fair skin.
“Lirael Silversong, wielder of Harmony, a melody in both arrow and string. She led the Fraternity of Harmony against the abyss. Her song filled the heavens and shattered the silence of impending doom. Then, she too vanished, her harmonious tones and her weapon a mystery that yet echoes unanswered.”
Dandelion wants to know more about the apparent firbolg figure. An Brónach appears, with white hair and wrinkly skin, carrying a beautiful staff with what appears to be a drop of dew at the end.
“Brónach, guardian of the Heartwood Staff, a gentle giant bound to both leaf and lore. His staff was a gift from dreams and divine visitation. He fought beside kindred spirits to keep at bay an evil beyond comprehension. Then, like morning mist, he and the Heartwood Staff faded away—destination unknown, forever etched in the annals of woodland whispers.”
Finally, the last figure comes into view. A young looking drow. At first the party thinks that it might be Nezznar Khalazza, but as the voice tells them about “The Defector” they realize that it cannot be him.
“Erevan Duskwoven, master of the Arachnostaff, a strand in a web of conflicted loyalties. He served not the dark god who rose to claim the underdark but the Lolth he remained loyal to. His aura and his Arachnostaff vanished into the labyrinthine shadows, a tale left to murmur among spiders and stones.”
The voice finishes off the vision with each of their “Artifacts of Harmony”, the Arachnostaff created by Lolth, Stormseeker created by Udall, Harmony created by Nuesis and the Heartwood Staff created by Faunus appearing in the figure's hands.
“Each held a piece of destiny, a relic of incredible might. Yet, as they vanished from sight, so did their tales slip into enigma. The items they carried, however, still hum with the unresolved chords of their sagas—awaiting new hands to wield them, new tales to tell.”
The party tries to find more information about each of the figures and their artifacts, but the knowledge is limited, so they will have to use legend lore to learn more. They spend some time asking about other things they want to know about. Penny focuses on the Edenflower, and finds it to also be known as the Dragon’s Tear. Grows in the garden of the summer queen, but can also be found in the gardens of Hagatha. Along with the name comes a terrifying visage of a hag looking woman with intense eyes, staring back at Penny.
The party focuses on Malice, and gets a vision of Malice standing next to Nezznar, surrounded by drow troops, ready to attack whoever was the holder of the memory and their allies. The voice of Maravin comes through, who calls her a “fucking bitch” in celestial. When they focus on the Forgotten One, they get a point of view flash of a hand bringing forward what appears to be Stormseeker in an attempt to attack the terrifying visage of the eyeless pale figure they have come to know as Vuthul. The party shudders.
Penny takes a second to focus on Granny, and to her surprise gets a vision of an elderly tortle holding hands with a small halfling girl, seemingly looking for something. It seems that Granny made an impression on someone in Eilian, enough to be remembered. Kal asks a question to Maravin that the others can hear, and gets a reply “It remains to be seen”. She then focuses on Ildrex, and gets a recent memory of Ildrex striking down an elf, looking possessed.
Relic wants to know if the collective knowledge knows about the Elder Archmages, and the party learns of each of the seven elder archmages that currently are the leaders in their field. Thervan Avalast in Abjuration, Lyssandra "Lyssa" Brightwood in Conjuration, Perrin Ironhand in Divination, Celeste Silverleaf in Enchantment, Bram Goodbarrel in Evocation, Delphine in Illusion, and Elara Shadowfoot in Tramsutation. No archmage in Necromancy, as who, if anyone, holds that position is unknown.
Finally, they want to see about powerful guardians, which causes the vision to be completely silent. A huge slender lumbering shadow can be seen wandering through the Bloodwoods, with white eyes staring at them. Kal then asks about dangers in the Bloodwoods, but there are too many to count. They realize they are going to have to be careful if they want to make it through, unscathed.
As they leave the seer, she says nothing, just sitting there, meditating. When they emerge from the passage back outside to the forest, Kal takes out the Spider Staff, giving it to Relic, thinking that they might already have one of the Artifacts of Harmony in their possession. Penny plays a short tune to help inspire, with Dandelion giving guidance. Looking over the staff, Relic can see words appear. “Make the pledge”- Relic focuses, and says within him “I pledge to do my utmost to stop the return of the Forgotten One”. A voice replies, in his head, “These words are accepted.”
In front of their eyes, the staff suddenly begins to molt, and it changes appearance from a finely crafted ebony staff to one of a more hardened look. An artifact of Lolth, the Spider Queen herself. The Arachnostaff lies dormant in Relic’s hands, yearning to be awoken. The party almost kicks themselves for having such a powerful artifact in their possession all along, but it was well hidden. Happy with the development, they return to the city, with Relic using Arcane Gate to avoid using the stairs again.
Later That Evening
Back to the city proper, they decide to check out the moonlit markets, a large marketplace high above the rest of the city, that apparently is only open during nighttime, buying a bunch of potions at a discount, thanks to Penny’s remarkable tenacity for negotiation. Relic peruses the stalls, and picks up a few spell scrolls that he scribes into his spellbook. Afterwards, Penny heads back to the Moonlit Pavilion, using subtle spell to read thoughts of the people, hoping to find something of interest. She gets a thought about just disappearing into the woods, but cannot find the source. She does however hear another one speaking of the dragon in Khuzunzan being killed, allowing diamonds to flow again. It comes from a ragged looking half-elf sitting by the bar.
Penny approaches, asking if she can buy him a drink, to which he does not protest. The man introduces himself as Faelar, and Penny asks if he heard any interesting rumors. He says that it’s funny she should ask, because he just thought about how the dragon in Khuzunzan has been slain, finally. She asks if he knows who accomplished such a task, and is told that it was a tall metal man with red eyes, along with a group of people. They apparently called themselves The Band of Tempervale, and the weirdest thing was that all they wanted as a reward was a small gemstone that was embedded in the dragon’s chest. What was even weirder was that when the dragon died, it shrunk. Penny is intrigued, but troubled by this, as this likely means that one of The Divine Shards is now in the possession of Calamity they saw in the Thax’ning tribes, who Thervan warned them about.
She then asks if he has picked up any interesting things on his travels he would be willing to sell, prompting him to take out a small pouch of what he calls “Fey Mushrooms” which causes hallucinations. Penny buys the bag for 125gp, and says goodbye to Faelar, thanking him for the info. He compliments her purple skin, which confuses Penny, until she realizes that he has probably taken some mushrooms himself. Before she returns to the party, she sees that Thervan and Delphine now sit by a table sharing a drink. She decides to walk over to Thervan, telling him quietly that she has heard rumors about Calamity acquiring a shard, prompting Thervan to quickly depart, telling Delphine that he has to go.
The party retires to their chambers, a nice room with a bunch of hammocks overlooking the forest below the Moonlit Pavilion, getting a good night's rest before venturing into the Bloodwoods. Even Dandelion joins the rest of the party, finding the hammocks to be an excellent alternative to a bed, and almost as good as sleeping on the forest floor.
A Blessing
The next morning, Kal tries once more to do a divine intervention to get a new guardian of the Emerald Earth Sanctuary, but Udall still won’t help her. She has however prepared Legend Lore, so Penny uses her bardic powers to create a bunch of incense needed in order to learn more. They decide to first focus on Harmony, the artifact of Lirael. Kal sits down to do the ritual, as Udall speaks through her mouth with her eyes sparkling with lightning once more.
“A melody woven in heroism and sorrow; Lirael Silversong of Swellingstrum. A gift from Nuesis, Harmony became her voice and her weapon, as she led The Fraternity of Harmony against the shadowed god, Vuthul. Her songs of courage filled the air, but when peace returned, so too did sorrow. Her home, her audience, her world—lost. She returned to the theater where once her voice had soared. In a final act, the strings of Harmony accompanied a sorrowful lament, a dying breath in the ruins of her life.”
The party remembers that they passed by the ruins of Swellingstrum on the way here, so luckily it’s not a long journey if they want to find Harmony as well. They have to wait until the next day however to learn more about the Heartwood Staff, as Penny cannot create more incense. But they are much closer today than they were yesterday, which is a win. They gather up their stuff, and head down to the forest floor after eating breakfast to speak to the priestess of the Bloodwoods.
When they reach the bottom, they see the small temple near the pathway to the Yearning Waters, with an old looking elven woman, Miriel, sitting down doing a communion of some sort. Kal wants to allow her to finish, so does not disturb her. After a few minutes, she opens her eyes, and greets the party, asking how she can help them. They say that they wish to venture into the Bloodwoods to find the grave of Maravin, which prompts Miriel to ask if she is speaking to Penny, Dandelion, Kal and Relic. She got word from the Leafwarden that they would see her soon. She grants a blessing to each of the members of the flock, with Relic thanking the “young woman” for her help. This amuses Miriel, who hasn’t been called young in quite a while. Dandelion asks if she can bless the owls as well, but she does not recommend them venturing into the Bloodwoods, as it will be quite dangerous, and difficult for them to escape if something were to happen. The owls decide to just hang around the horses, with Miriel saying they can come to her if they need food, shaking a large bag of bird seeds sitting on the porch.
Blessings received, they ask how long it will last, and are told that it will expire when they leave the Bloodwoods or return to Eilian, but other than that it has no expiration. She does however warn the party that there are many dangers lurking, and the blessing will only protect them against the vengeful spirits of the elves who have perished in the Bloodwoods without getting a proper burial. If they notice that everything around them has gone silent, they should immediately be quiet, not say a word, not break a twig, not make any noise, or the Silent Guardian will find them. And if he does, she does not think they will make it out. They thank her for her help, and as she retreats to her temple, she calls Relic a young man, laughing to herself some more.
The party gathers around Dandelion, as the owls fly over to the horses. Dandelion casts the spell, turning them all into wisps of clouds once more, turning four days' travel to the Yearning Waters into four hours. They then follow the path southwards, as the city of Eilian disappears amongst the canopy behind them.