Session 86

* The Woods of Woe
* The Inverted Keep

**Previously...**

## And Now...

### The Inverted Tower.

Goldie peers over the edge of the tower. The inner surface of the pit is lined like walls and windows, like a tower turned inside-out... or outside-in in this case, maybe. They can feel an unnerving presence from deep within it. Leshrac standing next to them, mentions that there's an entity within it which desires to be released. Gar hears this and contacts Bellarus, strengthening everyone's Willpower using Battle Meditations. Leshrac makes preparations to make contact with the entity. He asks Azrah if she's willing to help him. The entity may be strong, and they'd have better chance of not losing control with their powers combined.

While they're doing that, Gar attempts to assume his Dragon hybrid form so that he can use his wings to explore the hole. He grabs a torch so he can scan the walls on the first couple of levels for signs or markings that might give more information. He doesn't have to travel far. After only 2-3 metres or so, he sees four identical protective runes position at the four cardinal axes. Taking careful note of it, he returns to the surface. He uses a claw to scratch the mark into a patch of dirt.

Everyone gathers around and manages to identify it as an ancient Elven seal against the Ynfernael. It works by trickery - nothing can escape a structure which has no portals. Leshrac warns Azrah that their gems could conceivably be used by the creature as portals.

### If It Isn't One Thing...

Before the discussion can continue, everyone hears a distant, mournful keening which begins to draw closer. It gives almost everyone the willies. A spectral elf lady wearing armour over tattered robes appears from the mists, approaching the clearing to just beyond the treeline and paces back and forth.

Dandy approaches, says hello and offers pocket bacon (or trail mix if the elf doesn't eat meat). She then proceeds to explain what they're all doing here. The spectral figure seems unresponsive until she mentions the sword and map, at which point she becomes frantic, screaming that she needs the sword and demanding the map. When the group fails to respond to this, she possesses Dandy and uses her arm to grab a knife from her belt, holding it to her throat.

Leshrac threatens the Banshee with exorcism and Goldie threatens to release the Keep's inhabitant while Dandy keeps up a steady internal negotiation. The banshee seems to find coherent cognition difficult and, assailed on all sides, it relents slightly and changes tack. Releasing its control over Dandy's arm, it tries asking politely for help. With the immediate threat passed, Dandy introduces herself and asks the banshee's name. It identifies itself as Thalandriel, the former bearer of the sword (though she does so with a certain hesitancy, as though the process of pulling together its crumbling memories into coherent thoughts and memories is a terrible strain).

With control over her limbs restored, Dandy reaches into the bag and grabs the map, but throws it to Leshrac before the banshee can grab it. Following this, there's a brief negotiation. Eventually, Thalandriel agrees to meet us up North at the place indicated on the map.

Sensing that the party are going to leave, the being in the Keep manifests as a series of interlocking and shimmering planes of light, and tries to drag us all back into the pit with it. At first, only Leshrac is able to resist, but Gar is able to invoke Fluffy's power, freeing not only himself, but the rest of the group as well. With that done, we head northward.

### The Ancient Battleground.

As he go, the trees begin to become more gnarled and spooky. Dandy remarks that this is good, because that's how it looks on the map when you get close to the sword. Before long, we reached a grove filled with weirdly gnarled and twisted trees with bits and pieces of ancient armour hanging from them. Leshrac prepared to use his old 'Gorbmaw-on-a-stick' technique to try and locate the sword. Examining the trees, Dandy recalls hearing a story that Thalandriel used to cast a spell which either transformed her opponents into trees, or caused trees to grow through and around her opponents.

Putting their heads together, the party try and figure out the likeliest place for the sword to be located. They begin looking for a pair of intertwined trees - one 'good' and one 'evil'. Finding them, there's a sudden cracking noise as Azrah steps on what sounds like a rotten floorboard hidden among the roots. Leshrac feels a tremendous sense of dread, and advises everyone to move back.

He opens his magic eye and sees what looks like a covered well engraved with Death Runes. Anyone breaching the circle of the well, or touching the runes will surely die. Tentatively, and using a long-handled tool, Dandy is able to clear much of the detritus off a section of the cover. She then uses a crowbar to pry up one of the boards, exposing the stone rim of the well. Despite her care, she does brush the edge of the runes' effect, and loses all feeling in one of her hands, however not before achieving her aim. Several of the runes are now exposed and visible and Goldie is able, through meticulous arcane work, to temporarily unravel them.

This clears a small passage between the roots where the well can be safely entered. As the smallest, Dandy volunteers to head in, after securing a grapnel and line. Inside, she finds the sword embedded in an ancient skeleton. Wrapping the skeleton in a cloak without removing the sword, she secures both and signals for them to be hauled up out of the well.

### The Return of The Banshee.

The second the sword clears the well, the banshee reappears, emerging from the treeline and shrieking for her sword to be returned to her. As this happens, everyone acts at once. Leshrac tries to communicate with Thalandriel while Gar interposes himself. Dandy begins to examine one of the trees as Goldie begins to gather the energy to cast a spell. Before anyone can do anything else, though, Goldie's spell activates and the banshee vanishes, temporarily banished, though we have no idea for how long.

After a meticulous search, Dandy finds what looks to be the hilt of an ornately engraved dagger protruding from one of the trees. She explains to the rest of the group her theory that the two entwined trees are Thalandriel herself and the enemy who killed her. As she died, Thalandriel cast her spell, transforming both herself and her final opponent into these two trees. She believes that, if we can carve away enough of the tree, that we can find Thalandriel's mortal remains and reunite the banshee with her original body. This, she theorises, will help to remind Thalandriel of her original identity, making her less confused and fragmented, and more herself.

As she's explaining this, Leshrac grabs the hilt of the sword and it immediately forges a link with his mind. His consciousness is assailed by the torrential maelstrom of all the ancient souls bound within the blade, but he manages to seize control of it and retain control of himself. He believes that he best outcome would be to drive the sword into the tree. If, as Dandy supposes, Thalandriel's consciousness still clings to her mortal remains, the living blade should be able to absorb it.

The whole time this discussion is happening, Thalandriel herself keeps re-appearing and attacking.

The first time, she's driven back by Gar and Fluffy, the second by Goldie dispelling her again (an action which uses the last of Goldie's strain, causing her to revert to cat form) and the third, by Azrah, who prevents her transforming everyone into trees with the simple expedient of shooting her through the hand with an arrow.

After his initial attack successfully drove her back, Gar set about trying to carve away the outer shell of the tree using his hatchet and get to what Dandy assures him are the bones within.

### The Final Fate of an Old Soldier.

After a longer than usual time, Thalandriel reappears. She is quiet now, and her form is wispy and translucent. All her rage has been spent and she has surrendered to despair. All she wants is the return of her sword. She no longer knows why, or even cares, but she knows that if the sword is hers again, she will be whole, and she wants that more than anything.

Leshrac tells her that she may take her place within the blade, as so many did before her and while, initially, she is uncertain, she eventually agrees.

Afterward, as everyone takes a short time to rest, Gar and Dandy manage to extricate her bones from the tree. Dandy wraps them in an oilskin, ties them into a bundle, and stows them in her bag.

With the Living Blade recovered... the group prepares to leave the Woods of Woe and continue making their way into the heart of the Mistlands.