Session 84

The Mistlands

* An Ancient, First Darkness Battleground
* The Woods of Woe

**Previously...**

## And Now...

### Flight into the Wilderness

With Ilantha hard at their heels, the group flees Strangehaven, hoping to increase the distance between themselves and her. They depart the town sometime in the early evening, and decide on a forced march until dawn. Guided by Dandy, who helps them to skirt major impediments and avoid difficult terrain, and with Goldie helping their father keep up, the group make good time.

As the first, feeble rays of sunlight crest the windswept hillsides, the group spot a largely-ruined keep or guardpost in the distance and choose to pitch up there. More like a pile of stones and half-rotted timbers than a building, the ruin still provides shelter from the sun and the bitter winds scouring the bleak, hostile landscape. While exploring a partly-overgrown corner, the group finds the skeleton of a long-dead adventurer with a treasure map.

### An Unanticipated Detour

Examining the map, we discern that it leads North into the depths of the Woods of Woe. Based on a couple of barely-legible notes, the group is able to work out that the treasure in question is an ancient Elven weapon called 'The Living Blade'. Not many facts are known about it, but a great many rumours surround it. According to these, it was originally forged to be "a great weapon against evil", and that its most noted bearer, a hero called Thalandrial, dedicated the rest of her life to recovering it after it was lost, eventually becoming some kind of twisted undead aberration who, according to legend, still seeks it to this day. It addition, there are whispers that its forging involved bloody rituals, up to and including a mass living sacrifice of volunteers who gave their lives to create the weapon. The only thing we knew about it for certain was that, according to Leshrac's black market contacts, someone at Nerekhul University is offering a massive bounty for it.

Having risked it all before on slighter chances, the party unanimously agrees that going after the blade is a chance worth taking. We all realize that we're underprepared to face a lot of what we're going to have to encounter in the Mistlands proper, and an "Ancient Weapon against Evil" could certainly help to balance those scales somewhat. Also, if Ilantha is after us, she'll be expecting us to make a beeline towards Waiqir's stronghold at Zorgas, and a diversion North might throw her off our trail. With that decision made, a watch schedules is ordered and everyone gets a proper sleep.

### An Ancient Battleground

Early that afternoon, we pack up and begin heading North towards the woods. The further we get, the more bleak and inhospitable the landscape becomes. Largely composed of low, bare hillocks with the occasional stand of skeletal trees or patch of wiry grass atop it, and hollows filled with spidery ground-mist in between. Overhead, the sky hangs low, with rain ever-threatening and never coming and an ever-present, chill wind scourging the land.

We reach a wide plain and begin trudging across it and the keener-eyed among us begin to see traces of an ancient battleground. Pausing briefly to rest up and eat, several members of the group spread out to try and get some idea of what might have happened here. Eventually, between our discoveries, we figure out the battle here was between Humans and Orcs, and possibly dated back to the First Darkness. Gar asks Fluffy if they know anything about this battle and Fluffy reveals that they were here for it. They then present Gar with a series of vivid, violent flashbacks, largely of Fluffy carving through ranks of human soldiers. As an aside, Gar asks if Fluffy knows anything about 'The Living Blade'. Fluffy presents another flashback, this time being carried by a powerful warrior, charging a rank of enemies. As the enemies part, Gar is presented with a vision of Waiqir when he was still alive. The flashback ends abruptly.

### An Unexpected Visitor

Meanwhile, Dandy and Leshrac are searching the ground for interesting trinkets. Dandy finds an ancient cloak pin which appears to be stuck on something. As she tries to dig around the item to try and clear the obstruction, the earth rumbles, the pin comes loose and a sinkhole several metres across opens up, leading into a dark tunnel. Inside, Dandy can see something moving. After wishing whatever-it-is a cheery wave and a hello, she begins to rummage in her pack for some sort of light, but is interrupted as a plague worm erupts up through the ground.

Fortunately, Gar and Leshrac are both at hand and the worm is no match for the combined might of Fluffy, who gouges a long, bloody furrow down its side, splashing Gar liberally in what Dandy describes as 'Worm Goo', and Leshrac, who finishes the creature off with a searing fireball. In the aftermath, Gar begins to feel ill and Dandy feels vaguely queasy from being covered in worm goo. Goldie identifies the creature as a Plague Worm, a carrion eater which was lured here by the plentiful feeding after the battle only to fall into a centuries-long hibernation. As their name would indicate, they are carriers of disease, one of which would seem to have afflicted Gar.

### The Care and Feeding of Magical Items

While Dandy was dealing with the worm, Leshrac was scouring the battlefield using Gorbmaw as a kind of 'metal-detector' for magic items. This proves partially successful, as Gorbmaw is able to detect a magical artefact, but is able to consume it before Leshrac can even see what it is. Leshrac notices that, whatever it was, it appears to have affected Gorbmaw somewhat. He's grow slightly less leathery, with his flesh adopting a softer, more skin-like texture. The small, black eyes he normally conceals have grown larger and more prominent, and three of the bag corners appear to have developed into short, stubby tentacles. Still able to achieve his disguise as a belt-pouch, he's beginning to look more like some sort of creature.

He would also have learned a new word, as he identifies Leshrac as "Daddy", and would appear to be able to create a kind of burbling purring noise. There follows a brief discussion with Gar on the care and feeding of intelligent magical items, but no additional issues seem obvious.

### Onward

Wanting to leave the battlefield as soon as possible, the party continues North. As the light begins to fade and the afternoon becomes late, Dandy begins looking for a place where we can take shelter. She finds a long-dry riverbed, which provides shelter from the wind and, a short way up, discovers a point where, at one time, a wooden bridge once spanned the river. Almost all of the bridge is long-gone, but a few metres of splintered and rotting timbers still extend from one bank.

As the final embers of light fade, the party settles down to camp. Goldie uses their Verse magic to drive off the remainder of Gar's lingering illness from the Plague Worm and, as everyone begins to eat, everyone notices that Goldie's father, Thanden, seems to be much better. Watch is set and everyone settles down for the night.

### Into the Mistlands

In the pre-dawn light , the party resumes their journey North, following the Riverbank. At one point during the morning, every member of the group feels a dreadful sensation, as though they've just stepped onto the earth where there grave will one day lie.

We have entered The Mistlands proper.

We pause, briefly, to cover some of the dangers and ways of the Mistlands.

* From this point on, we should not mention the 13th Baron by name. His spies and sentinels are alert to its sound and may find it easier to locate us.
* While we have experienced intermittent mists and fogs since departing Strangehaven, they are now constant. We should avoid heavy patches of mist if possible. The heavier the mist, the more likely it is to be able to transport you somewhere else, or transport something else to you. Both are things to be avoided.
* All sleep will be accompanied by bad dreams. The longer one remains still the worse they will become, so it is best not to linger in any one place.
* Inhabitants and travellers traditionally offer an exchange of salt and/or bread upon meeting as a reassurance that one is human. We should mind our supply and try to acquire more.

While we are stopped, Dandy discovers a forgotten supply of magic acorns given to us in the Tanglewood in a nondescript pouch at the bottom of her pack. In addition to the half-dozen she already has, this should definitely prove helpful.

### The Woods of Woe

As we proceed onward, we begin to see the Woods in the distance. They are largely thick stands of evergreens with a heavy bracken floor. Checking the map, we notice that the sword's location is given in relation to three landmarks. The first is a cave that looks like a serpent's head, the second is a waterfall choked with red weed, and the third is a ruined keep labelled 'The Inverted Keep'.

Leshrac suggests that Gar take Dragon form and take flight in order to observe the area from the air. Gar tries, but fails to manifest wings, however he does grow larger and more powerful. Leshrac assumes the form of an immense bird of prey and heads up instead. From this point, he is able to make out what he believes are the falls (clouds of reddish vapour amongst the mists) and the Keep (a large, cleared area). The Falls would appear to be part of the same system as the Riverbed we've been following.

We decide to continue following the stream-bed towards the falls. As we pass into the forest proper, we begin to notice signs of life. The momentary sense of reassurance, however, is brief as all of the creatures we see look vaguely 'wrong'. This serves to add to our sense of unease.

### The Wild Men of the Woods

Rounding one stand of trees, we see a fallen deer and what appears to be a shaggy, naked wild man feeding on its carcass. Gar and Leshrac attempt to call out to the man, but he ignores their entreaties and seems more interested in his meal. Leshrac gets a bad feeling and the party takes a wide berth around the man, whom he suspects is not alone out here. This would seem to be confirmed by brief glimpses of running figures moving through the woods.

After a few minutes, it seems that at least some of them may be hunting us and Dandy sets herself up as a kind of stalking horse. This draws one attacker in, but before he can strike, Gar slices him in half with Fluffy. He looks pretty much identical to the earlier one. Gar spots a weird, frosty glow, like the sun reflecting off snow to his eyes, which fades as he dies to a kind of curdled milk colour. Simultaneously, another attempts to attack Goldie's dad. He manages to struggle loose from its grasp, but its touch seems to have leeched away some of his bodily warmth. Goldie shrugs and says, "If it's warmth you're after..." before immolating the creature with a burst of flame, which clears away some of the mists.

In the light of Goldie's flame, we begin to see that more may have been drawn to us than we expected, at least a dozen, though with more further back in the treeline. We form a rough circle and prepare to defend ourselves...