The Heroic Battle Against the Mother Tree

*This tale of the Dark Dreams Incident took place on June 4, after the revelation that the Druids of the Vine were a cult seeking to replace the material plane--the waking world--with the layers of the Emerald Dream. After the saplings were destroyed, the defenders of Duskwood regrouped at the entrance to the Twilight Grove...*

## Gathering

Bessara, the green dragon, looked around at the assembled and nodded.  “I’m glad you are here.  You will all be needed. The majority of the cult was within the Grove when the spell was cut off.  Now...well, it’s not pretty.”

Bessara sighed.  “What remains in there should not be.  It is not a person, not a thinking creature, and needs to be put down.  You will have to do this together.  I will help you.”

As they entered the Twilight Grove, the heroes' eyes were immediately drawn to the *thing* in the middle.  It was a tree, but only just.  It was almost black, its trunk and limbs twisted upwards in obscene contortions.  Some thought they could pick out the forms of arms and legs and faces--but all were sure they saw eyes, glowing red, all over its bark.

The ground around the tree was deep red, and stank of blood.  The druids were nowhere to be seen, nowhere, though a few robes and staves lay scattered about.

It saw the heroes, sensed them, and its wooden “body” groaned horribly as it turned.  An aperture not unlike a mouth opened wide, and greenish vapor issued forth with the force of a hurricane wind.  It was upon the heroes at once, and even if they held their breath, it sank into their pores.

“Yipe!”  Bessara leapt into the air, a dragon once more, and hovered.

The heroes felt sluggish, nerveless.  They were awake, but not, held in a trancelike state that left them able to perceive everything around them but unable to move.

The horror advanced on the helpless defenders upon a writhing mass of roots, and its branches reached toward them.

"NO!"

Moonfire lit up the field between the living and the horror, driving it back. Bessara slowly landed again.  “Champions, I give you my strength!  I cannot rouse you all from slumber at once, but as I raise you each, strike fast and sure!  End this monstrosity!”

## Striking Blows for Justice

### *Selvatore*

FINALLY! Selvatore was freed. He walked straight through the group and grabbed Soviana's staff off her back – she was stuck, after all. As the others attacked, he follow in behind shouting, “You like that, huh?! You want some of this? Yeah, I'll give you some of this! Say hello to my little friend!” He held the staff under his arm almost like a grenade launcher. With wild waving, he fired off a volley of random as hell spells to blast the monster!

### *Elaine*

Elaine's limbs twitched as the feeling returned to her limbs. She took the opportunity to creep closer to the monstrous tree. She took cover behind Selvatore, drawing her pistol and firing off a few rounds at the thing- though she had a feeling it wouldn't do much damage.

### *Jeremaias*

Jeremaias drew a deep breath. Wings of Light exploded from Jeremaias' back, and his eyes glowed fiercely.  With a shout--"THE LIGHT IS MY FORTRESS!"--he sent a shockwave of Light across the ground into the Mother Tree!

### *Baztet*

Bastet's prayers were answered! Thank Elune for Ysera and her children! "All right! Let's do this!" Bastet called upon the stars for help. A moonbeam hit the scary tree. She knew nature magic wouldn't do anything but the power of the stars would. "Ha! Taste the power of Elune!" After that, Bastet was back into the nightmare stuck in her cheer position. Great...

### *Zamaris*

Zamaris felt the magic dissipate from around her form, allowing her to move freely once again. She charged forward, shadows snaking over her form and causing her to disappear from sight. Once she reappeared, her blades were enchanted with shadow-flames and she was at the base of the tree, both weapons driving forward and into the being. The magic tore at it, burning away until she yanked them out and retreated backwards.

### *Parthilan*

Parthilan spoke out loudly a prayer that echoed throughout the grove, his hand bursting to flames with holy fire. His eyes were also alight as he aimed his hands. "I am the Shepherd of the promised flock, I am he who walks the road that borders paradise and oblivion, he who wields blessed fire and blackened water. Through me the Light's wrath flows and sends the wicked to hell through the purging of fire...BY THE LIGHT BE PURGED!" He raised his hands and a wave of pure holy fire slammed and washed over the tree, trying to erase part of it and turn it to ash.

### *Chenlou*

Jerking forth from his sudden immobility, Chen immediately raises his pistol upwards towards the monstrosity and fires off, one by one, the gun's entire magazine of armor piercing rounds straight for the creature's mouth. He then shoves the pistol back into its holster, scrambles for his other, and repeats the process in an attempt to do as much damage as he could in his small window of control. By the time he finishes, he's shrouded in a fading cloud of steam with sixteen casings scattered on the ground around him.

### *Gingert*

Ginger felt herself be freed. She looked over herself and smiled. "All right! I'm free! And I know what to do." She mounted upon Breezy and flew into the sky. She concentrated heavily as she pulled out her wand. "Chickens... EVERYWHERE!" Suddenly, portal upon portal opened around the area as chickens swarmed the tree. They somehow reached the tree whether by floating down, or swimming across the blood. The chickens pecked the tree, peeling the bark off of the wood doing damage. There were so many of them that it looked as if a lake of white had appeared around it. "He he. Yeah."

### *Soviana*

Soviana has had it with this giant horrortree! She snaps out of her paralysis with the help of the dragon, and reaches for her staff...which was missing, as Longhat had 'borrowed' it from her. She grumbles and stomps forward, snatching it right back from Longhat, finding his Rambo-like method of spellcasting had drained it entirely. "Guess I'm doing this the old fashioned way." She reaches into her bag and grabs a handful of bottles by the neck, using her other hand to steal Longhat's shotgun. The bottles go flying into the air at the beast tree, and the NiaTech logo of the firearm shines in the moonlight as she fires, piercing the bottles with the shot and creating a brilliant, prismatic explosion right in the 'face' of the beast as all the power in the concoctions mixed together in a volatile mass of wild magic!

### *Zerathan*

Zerath ripped free finally. He was injured and pissed off, as he limped through the group at a half-run, flames building in his hands all at once. At some point his dagger ended up in his hand, and he focused the flame around it as he flung the blade towards the gaping maw in the tree, an explosion blasting off the bark, leaving a gap-tooth shape in the tree's mouth.

### *Turtledog*

Tim calmy walked past all the people, chickens and all the fighting. Grass and flowers would grow where Tim walked. Once he made his way to the Tree, Tim reached his hand out. A vine would lash out from Tim’s hand and latch itself to the tree. “Embrace the force of the Grove, Embrace it’s healing touch.” A green magic travelled down the vine towards the tree. Wisps began to circle around the pair, spirits aiding the call of Tim’s magic. Four treants of the Grove entered arrived through the Portal, they rushed over to Tim’s aid. The treants all raised their hands and began to cleanse the tree along with Tim. Tim shouted,  “This land is not your home, and you will not be it’s killer.” The wisps spinning became more rapid as each moment past. They could be heard cutting through the air. “You are being evicted by the Spirits of these lands and I am here to give you notice!” One by one the wisps would latch on to the tree, covering the tree in the Spirits of the dead. “Remove this creature from your lands.” At that moment, there was a silence that could be heard across the forest., the wisps began to detonated one by one. While none of the heroes were hurt, the same could not be said for the treants, who gave their lives so that the Wisps and Tim could attempt to cleanse this tree.

### *Ashentower*

Ashley was frozen in place, not only by the dark magics but by sheer fear. Nonetheless she composed herself and masked all other emotions with a deep scowl, stepping forward and beginning to swing her sword with side arches, chopping at the tree's moving roots and branches as they got close.

### *Raaxine*

Rax watches the first group fall back into a stupor and sees how this works. She'll have to do something that has a lasting effect. She finds herself free and launches herself at the monstrous tree, driving her spear and latching onto it above its mouth, flames surging along her weapon and bursting into the corrupted bark, setting it ablaze in the small area around it. She feels the spell's effects on her fading and drops back to the ground a good distance away before falling back under the trance.

### *Lylth*

Lylth was freed from her haze her sleep, the mage would hiss to herself as she shook off the effects. Quickly she struck her staff into the ground and began to channel arcane energy up fro the ley-lines through her to her sword. Quickly beginning to flick her sword about as if carving runes into the air. Slowly one by one runes would light up along the weapon until a proper sequence was aligned and a large amount of energy poured through her sword. She moved up quickly and suddenly slammed her sword into the ground. Beneath the tree the released spell would crack the ground and ushering from beneath a cataclysm of flames to erupt all around the tree’s roots.

### *Sannit*

Sannit almost fell forward as the enchantment lifted from her temporarily. She quickly analyzed the situation, and decided the best course of action to take. With a gentle pat to Claus's rear with the back of her hand, she quickly hopped up onto the Druid's back and dashed across his frame, jumping off of the cat's head at the last minute to vault herself over the crowd. While airborne, the woman grasped onto her blades and ripped them from their sheathes. She hit the ground running, barely missing those at the front as she dashed along. She zigged and zagged until she was within striking range, in which she jumped onto a jutting root-- or limb, who knows-- and launched herself up from it! While up in the air, she slammed her daggers into the tree and slid down, her descent slowed as the blades tore through disgusting, disturbing bark. As her feet hit the ground, she knew better than to stick around. Without thought, she turned tail and ran back towards the group before she could be frozen within hitting distance. She weaved through the frozen crowd until she was where she thought she'd be safe.

### *Kuthalaz*

Cudathas fell to his knees once his willpower had broken through the trance put onto him by the tree. He stands back up, and removes his mask. His entire body is engulfed in a green flame, and he teleported to the front lines. With that, he remained engulfed in fel-fire. Many, many small vortexes of fel energy and shadow appeared around the tree. Kuthalaz tilted his staff forward in the air, and a large amount of imps riding fel-hunters flew from them. A couple larger portals let forth a doomguard and an infernal into the fight. For as long as Kuth kept up his willpower, the demons stayed and assaulted the tree. But his power was waning, and he dropped the command of the demons. They obliterated into flame around the tree, and Kuthalaz teleported back to a safer distance. He fell to his knees, and froze up again. His horns painfully growing another inch, and skin turning an unnatural grey color.

### *Maridiana*

As soon as she felt herself regain control of her own body, Maridiana kicked her heels into her steed’s sides and yanked the reins upward. The ghastly glowing hooves, fueled by the raging souls of deceased beasts now forced to watch nature become corrupted before them, ran along the air while the steed’s master searched around in a compartment hidden within the mechanical body. Inside was all of the components needed for her explosives, and she picked out only a few items: a small jug of flammable oil and a match. The steed ran circles around the nightmarish tree, and Maridiana worked as quickly as she could to pour the oil down her companion’s spiked tail. Once the appendage was soaked, the huntress lit the match and touched the flame to the oil, making the tail a giant, flaming whip. With another tug of the reins, the creature ran under a branch and then turned hard upward, lashing its flaming, spiked tail into the underside of the spooky wood like a fiery saw! Crrrkkkkk~The wooden limb splintered and ignited! From branch to branch this repeated until the flaming tail had been exhausted. The monster’s gangling limbs and the faces inside were torn and burned, and the duo quickly returned to the ground as the tail cooled down and fatigue settled over them once more.

### *Baelthane*

Finally, Baelthane awakens from the dark slumber. He draws steel once more and closes in on the tree. After making a few pointless jabs at the branches, he does something rather wild and jumps onto the beast's trunk. He draws his throwing blade and stabs multiple eyes sockets out of the monster. He manages to do some significant damage, but the tree refused to have it. It would make contortions in its design and fling Baelthane back to the group...he is once again taken by the green sleeping agent.

### *Amarlytha*

Amar raises her staff and begins to swirl it in wide arcs. The leftover energy from the ritual begins to swirl and crackle in the air. She brings her staff down and the air explodes around the tree. Amar slumps to the ground clearly worn out.

### *Soltum*

Alexander breaths in slowly feeling the strength take him. "Thank you Dragon" He speaks gently picking his staff up he looks directly at the tree for the first time. For but a moment fear takes ahold, this creature created in blood and lies has done so much damage. Even with the damage cause could it be possible? Yet for this one moment a spark of peace and clarity washes over him. For one brief moment he feels at one with the Light like he had only once in this week. "You are created to cause suffering, yet you are a creature who is suffering" Alexander raises his staff. "Let us end this suffering" He smacks the staff onto the ground and a flash of light blindly strikes at the tree, hitting at the weak points that had been so greatfully taken by his allies. Burning its way attempting to get into the tree itself. In a blast of Light Alexander comes to his knees as the feeling drains away... and he feels once more as himself. Yet he smiles. "This shall end... This must end..."

### *Speakerthai*

Thairia wakes from her paralization moving forward wordlessly drawing her blade, she runs her hand along it as shadow comes to cover it. "Your strength betrays you." Thairia takes swing into the trent, her blade not truly hitting the creature but passing thought it. The nightmarish aura surrounding it disrupted from her strike, following her blade surrounding it in a vortex of shadow she readies herself and stabs at where the creature's aura had been disrupted forcing both her power and that of the tent back into it in a destructive blast.

### *Aldorae*

Aldorae wakes up, a little groggy at first, then waves her staff over the battlefield. Behind her a trio of runes appear on the ground and form up three glaive throwers out of arcane magic. "Bandu thoribas!" Aldorae swings her staff forward! The wings of the throwers unfurl and launch their payload at the tainted tree. Sinking into the bark they burst apart into arcane shards and eventually settle away into glittering arcane sparkles. Aldorae's knees weaken and she sluggishly gets to the ground. "Shouldn't have had that... last... drink..."

### *Agardis*

Agardis’ body began to stir once more. She watched lazily as the others had been released, so when she was free she rushed forward as well. Her hands out stretched towards the other trees on either side of her. Drawing both her hands together towards the giant mutant tree, roots from the other trees began to grow towards it. As soon as they grew far enough outwards they reached out for it, the roots of the mutant tree was tied down keeping it from being able to move while her group was released to attack it. Once done, her focus moved to gathering her strength and begins to moonfire towards it. Raising both her hand skywards and chanting softly to herself, large two beams of white light came down from the sky, slamming down on the top of the mutant tree. It would continue to take damage even after she was frozen again like everyone else. Instantly drawing her hands in towards her chest she pushed both her hands out towards the tree summoning a rapid successions of star surges from up above towards the mutant tree, burning massive holes through it.

### *Annabelle*

Annabelle shakes her head, waking from some sort of dreamlike state. She grits her teeth, glaring up at the big tree which had the audacity to impose itself upon her. She holds her left hand out and clenches her fist, a pale mist seeping from around her fingers. A frozen lance grows around her fist as she charges forward, knocking aside anyone standing between her and Father Longhat as she seeks to put herself between him and the tree. Once in position, she lets fly, the frozen lance tracing a glittering arc through the night air. It would seek to impale itself in the trunk of the evil tree, icy tendrils reaching from around the point of impact. After a few seconds, the lance would explode with a sound not unlike a gunshot, sending a deadly hail of jagged shrapnel flying through the air, reaching deep into the tainted trunk of the tree.

### *Sellos*

Sellos body quivered after being freed. His eyes narrowed at the great abomination as he lifted his shield up to his face. He muttered in Draeneic a prayer causing his shield to emanate a soft light aura for a brief moment before a beam of light shot from his shield at the truck of the tree.

### *Claus*

Claus felt himself become free of the strange bondage, perking his ears up and prompting him to leap over to land before the armored knights of the gathering, digging his claws deep into the pavement to ground himself. "You've all been going about this wrong. Try something that has more "depth" and see where it gets us..." His eye flashed a deep purple as he slowly stretched his maw open, lingering there motionless before a large burst of corrupted twilight energy was cast from within his maw toward the tree beast. Holding himself onto the ground with his claws, the blast focused into a beam as shadowy tendrils flicked in and out from within the beam as well as slithering between his fangs and outside his maw. The blast connected to the beast just as his claws broke free from the pavement, sending him flying back over the heads of the adventurers into a tree, causing his teeth to snap shut - cutting the blast off while the open wounds on the tree began to be torn open from the inside out by large shadowy, barbed tentacles.

### *Whoever*

Warren Davey rolls his shoulders upon finally being freed. His eyes look over the crowd before he dashes forward, releashing his grapple hook with a faint jingle. Twirling his hand, the hook flies forward, soon grasping the nearby, Mavie-inhabited lamp post. Pulling himself towards it, he balances upon it for mere seconds before launching himself towards the tree. Unsheathing both swords in the process, he stabs deeply into the cracked bark, slicing down until he kicks back, pulling out of the tree and jumping back.

### *Butterchurn*

Butterchurn does not hesitate as he wakes out of the slumber.  Focusing on the monstrosity ahead of him, the end of his staff begins to glow a dull blue.  A small storm forms and pelts the beast with great ferocity.  Shards of ice and frozen snow pelt and crash against its limbs; freezing them, snapping them, breaking them.

### *Jiroki*

Jiroki was FINALLY free, her first instict from being free to roll to the side away from the others and prop hereslf on her knee. She reaches for her arrows and pulls three out, able to draw back all three at once as she aims for the tree. She fires, and they swish through the air, seeming normal arrows. However as they draw closer to the target, they give a slight glow of some form of magic, and they split into multiple arrows. Once making contact with the tree, multiple explosions would erupt from where the arrows struck.

### *Felorela*

Felo leaps up from the ground, silver light swirling around her with the momentary appearance of wings as she slams her blessed spear into the tree, Elune's fury coursing through it and bursting out across the tree. She then rips her spear out destructively, and slams it back in as she shoves herself down its length, tearing a long gash through its body, shadows and silver light both eating away inside the gash.

### *Fyrngarm*

Fyrngarm is freed from struggling. Pulls out a small dog whistle and blows it, as he puts the whistle away he looks at his unlit lantern and grabs it and throws it into the gaping mouth of the tree as the lantern flies through the air. He pulls his gun up and shoots it right as it enters exploding inside of it. As soon as it exploded more hound arrive. He points at the tree as says. "Attack boys!" they charge baying and barking toward the tree.

### *Syhelyn*

Kay Lept forward, Claws out and dragged herself down, teeth digging in.

## The Fallen Tree

"You've done it!" Bessara cried.

The tree staggered back, its limbs and trunk and roots hacked and burnt and torn to bits!  As the heroes watched, it gave a strangled groan, and collapsed backward!  Shards of strange wood, leaves, clods of dirt flew into the air!

And then, stillness.  The Mother Tree, and the druids who created her, were no more.

As the heroes called out to ensure that everyone else was all right--and as Father Longhat began to demand to know what "relic" might have been created by this magical catastrophe--Bessara entered the remains of the Mother Tree and discovered the Heart of Dreams.

She emerged from the wreckage in her draconic form. "Auromere, all of you, please meet me back in Darkshire!  I must speak with you, and I’m sure you have some questions for me!" And with that, she returned to Darkshire on the wing...