Pressing Through the Realm of Conflict

**Story Arcs**

###### **THROUGH THE AMERTIA LOGGING CLEARING**

   Waking up, the group (*consisting of Bogladin, Ashes, Dinhk Donhk, and Valorous Flame*) begin heading towards the port town of Jaskir, but are made aware by the dwarf that they must pass through the Realm of Conflict to make their way there.

Proceeding through the Realm of Conflict, the party discovers the **Logging Clearing**; a seemingly long abandoned clearing where once many trees stood. There lay many stumps as well as various structures and tents littered throughout the desolate, rocky and tree absent area.

Heading closer towards the first set of structures the group encounters, the party spots a potion bottle laying on the floor. Heading towards to pick it up, the two adventurers are taken by surprise as it is actually a Potion Mimic, a bug like creature that resembles commonly used potions with its translucent exoskeleton and colored innards which mimic the liquid inside of a potion.

The potion mimic attacked but was quickly dispatched by the two adventurers who defended the survivors of the Logging Camp. Pressing on wards the group moved towards the first set of buildings, while Ashes' keen eye spots a few tracks outside of an ogre; as well as humanoid tracks that looked to have been running away from the monster. Whatever happened here must have happened a while ago.

Inside and around the buildings were a meager amount of supplies, the collective decided to press on wards to check out the remaining sites.

##### 🐱**LEOPOLD, THE ABSENT CHANNELER - CHAPTER 2**

###### **LEOPOLD DEMARCO AND THE SNAPDRAGON GROVE**

   On their way to the next set of buildings, the group find a small waterfall with a small basin of water which it collects into. A catfolk is seen at the top of the waterfall, smoking from his pipe. Standing up, the catfolk greets the group and opts to plunge off the edge and into the water below, exiting the water soaked to the bone. He introduces himself as Leopold Demarco, a catfolk druid who is currently just adventuring and seeing where life takes him. The group allows the catfolk to tag along, thus Leopold joins the party.

Pressing ahead, the group travels deeper through the Realm of Conflict and into a claustrophobic little area known as the **Snapdragon Grove**. This was a path that led through a mountain that had a clearing in the center, a nesting grounds for a beast of nature known as a **Snapdragon**, a congregation of vines behaving in unity to make a small plant psuedodragon; as well as small vine like snake tendrils known as vinelings, creatures able to strange, disarm as well as "merge" with other vinelings to create a hulking monster known as a vine guardian.

Fending off the first few beasts was an easy task, but the overwhelming numbers begun to whittle down on the adventurers. Ashes would be distracted fending off one snapdragon, with the assistance of Leopold; while Bogladin attempted to untangle the restrained Dinhk Donhk and Valorous Flame; freeing Valorous but taking a lethal strike in the process, knocking him unconscious and bleeding out on the grass.

##### 🥋**BOGLADIN'S PROVING TRIAL - CHAPTER 3**

###### **THE NEAR DEATH OF BOGLADIN HERNANDO**

   Bogladin teetered against deaths door, witnessing the looming giant figure he once towered over during his meditation at the Effigy of Power slowly begin to steal back its size and once more tower over the dying monk.

Ashes and Leopold were able to dispatch the snapdragon, and the freed Valorous would pick up and throw a rock at the bleeding snapdragon looming over the unconscious body of Bogladin; knocking it onto the ground beside the monk. Rushing over to attempt to resuscitate the fading adventurer, Ashes attempts to force the life back into his body.

Before the paladin attempts to use his lay on hands; the monk reaches out and gasps for air, returning to the land of the living but traumatized at his near death experience, as well as his vague vision regarding the Effigy of Power. Getting his wounds closed up by the divine magic of Lathander, Ashes and Leopold aid Bogladin in pressing onwards by lending their shoulders to lean on as they continue to travel towards Jaskir.

###### **PRESSING ON THROUGH THE BANDIT GULLY**

    Leaving the traumatizing Snapdragon Grove behind, the group presses on towards a cliffside route which leads and splits off towards Jaskir and Laghu'un known as the Bandit Gully, a name given to the group by Dinhk Donhk for its reputation for frequent robberies and thefts that occur in this part of the Realm of Conflict by bandits and highwaymen.

Heading up the cliff, the sound of wild beasts could be heard howling; Ashes knows this sound well and tells Dinhk Donhk and Valorous Flame to carry the barely conscious; currently comatose monk while he and Leopold deal with the incoming jackal attack.

Without question the two help the monk stay upright while the two active fighters begin to clear out the beasts that block their progress towards Jaskir. Taking very little damage the group succeeds and pushes ahead, eventually meeting with the glorious sight of the slightly decaying but still magnificent gates of Jaskir.

**Story Arcs**