AAR: [6H] Wild Rose of the Wyrm Wood 06Jun2020 @2230 GMT

[Waijhou]

June 6, 202
LFG: [6H] Wild Rose of the Wyrm Wood 06Jun2020 @2230 GMT

Jaen'val'Jael 'Jael' Savre has been going around Throal excitedly, cornering familiar adepts and asking if you would like to join him on a super easy adventure! We're just going to take a weekend trip to the Elven homeland bro! What could go wrong?
My friend Jael is very excited about going to explore the Wood Elves homeland of The WormWood Forest. I am glad to accompany him on his grand adventure. Also along for the trip are Dvarim, Zil, Karl Thompson and me. We head North East towards the great forest, deciding to cross the great Serpent river at Sosanopa. We each pay 5sp for a ferry ride across then strike out North East towards the great forest. After we crest a large rise we see a large blackened area between us and the forest. It is at least a league between the burned area and the forest. It looks like a kill one to me. People hide in the edge of the forest and can shoot anybody crossing the burned area. The burn area goes as far as the eye can see. Karl says this area was burned on a regular basis, like every month.
As we begin to cross the blackened area, we all feel like there are many eyes on us. It takes about 1.5 hours to cross the blackened area. As we get closer to the trees, Karl notices there are large mounds. As we get closer, they are not mounds, they are piles of corpses. Large piles as far as the eye can see. Most of the piles seem to be old, though some of them seem to still have flesh on them. There are creeper vines that are going into the fleshy areas still on the corpses. There are almost all kinds of name giver skulls, and many animals. The piles are about 20 - 30 feet tall. Zil looks into the Astral and is not happy. We search around for some Elves, and or a Kaer and find nothing. We come to an area that is overlaid with thick enchantments. Still, no people. We are discussing if these are Kaer Wards or not. We find a path, and are unsure if we should continue on.
Jael seems to think yes this is great, we should totally go forward. We come to a large bulwark of enormous trees. We keep going, the vines on the trails seem to like to trip us. We come across a small stream in the forest, it seems to be beaconing to Jeal as he hurries forward. We follow the stream, walking slowly. We hear something, as we draw into a small clearing we see something charging down the stream towards us. They seem to be wild boars but have many tusks. The boars have an amazing fast charge and battle is insured. In the middle of battle a large toad jumps out of the stream and attacks Karl. The Boars are extremely tuff, several times we thought we had killed them and they got back up to attack us again. We prevail against the boars the toad and the snake that dropped from the trees and decided to attack us. After the battle we rest and recuperate.
We continue on our way and keep hiking until dark. Zil is kind enough to use his magic to create hidden shelters for us to sleep in. He conjours them up in the trees. We sleep very peacefully.
Next morning we wake, have breakfast, do karma rituals. Just as we are finishing a pack of wolfs come up through the thick underbrush and attack. We make quick work of the wolf pack, but not before they give karl a vicious wound. Zil is able to use Garlens tricks to help heal him.
We continue to follow the stream until we come into a glad with a clear beautiful pool. There a 2 white horses with single horn on there heads, and glowing red eyes. We engage the name giver eating unicorns in battle, then we notice 8 plants start moving towards us and they have very large thorns. THe battle is short and brutal. After the battle, Jael walks to an oak tree that has been struck by lightning and does a ritual with some small flowers. He tells us he is successful with the mission as to why we came here. GREAT ! lets get the heck out of here !
We make our way back towards THroal.

[bronzemountain]

Something is Terribly Wrong with the Wyrm Wood
Or, That Ain't Right

By Upandal's bronze balls, what has happened to the Wyrm Wood? Jael asked some friends and myself (ed. Karl Tomsson, Xeviouz, Zil) to accompany him to the Wyrm Wood so he could complete the Deed for his armor. It seemed a simple enough outing - go to a forest, water a tree.

But something is terribly wrong with that forest. As we approached the edge of the Wyrm Wood, crossing the north reach of the Serpent, we found a deep band of deliberately burned foliage, nearly a mile deep and stretching along the edge of the wood. Good solid tactical thinking. Whoever had done it, and I have to assume it was elves, had given themselves a clear defensive perimeter. They even marked out distances with painted piles of stones. Good thinking.

But the wood itself, well, that was another matter. Zil and Jael felt it immediately, and even I had a sense that something here was wrong. Zil described an oppressive, defensive presence as if the entire forest had been woven into one massive True Pattern. And that Pattern did not want any of us there. Well, any of us but Jael.

Of course, the day I let a damn forest tell me where I'm supposed to be is the day I hang up my hammer. Forests do what we say or they become furniture. In fact, they probably become furniture whether they obey or not, so fine, forests. Do what you want. I've got an axe and I know carpentry.

We followed the Mothingale north towards a stream that would lead us to this magical glade. As we drew closer, we found piles upon piles of bodies stacked up against the forest boundary. Some were animals, many were namegivers. And hanging from the great trees that bounded the forest, dead elves hung up like warnings. Some worn down to skeletons, some still fresh and oozing. Absolute Passions-damned nonsense. I have no patience for it.
I would have thought Horrors, but Zil insisted that it wasn't that. So, just absolutely crazy elves. Or whoever killed the elves and took over their forest.

Miles and miles of nonsense.

As we followed the stream, we were set upon by some sort of absurdly designed boars. A dozen tusks where two would do. Spines and spikes poking through their skin, leaving them constantly bleeding and furious with pain. Just shoddy craftsmanship all around. Jaspree should be ashamed. They were dangerous beasts, sure enough. Charging about and swift as lightning. Their terrible porcine screams still haunt me.

As if spiky over-tusked zephyr-fast bleeding screaming pigs weren't enough, we were also ambushed by a witherfang and some sort of ridiculously spiny toad. What need does a damn frog have for spines? And why the hell is it the size of an ork? I need to speak to someone's manager.

Well, none of it really mattered in the end. Sure, Karl end up wrapped up in 20 yards of sticky toad tongue, and we got knocked around a bit (not me), but we dispatched all the animals quickly enough.

We made a bit more progress and made camp, with Zil coaxing the trees into forming camouflaged hammocks for us. Lovely, really. In the morning, Zil took the opportunity to conduct a Fire Heal ritual for himself. Which, I suppose, upset the local wolves. Which, of course, because this entire forest was shat out by some Mad Passion on a top shelf drug bender, were pierced with thorns and shot lightning out of their damn eyes.

Do these people just not understand what a wolf is supposed to be? It's as if Jaspree let her emotionally troubled teenaged nephew have a turn at creating animals.

These sentinels, too, were insufficient. We took them down with relative ease, and moved on.

Finally, we found the spot that Jael needed and I'll admit, it was quite beautiful. Crystalline waters, beautiful foliage, flowers. Exactly what one would expect to see in an elven glen.

And of course the Passions damned plants started to move and explosively grew thorns and tried to attack us. Because of course they did. And of course there were Unicorns. Who thirsted for Namegiver blood and hungered for Namegiver flesh. This fever dream of a forest can't get anything right. Plants stay still, look pretty, and if they are very very good indeed, become beer. They do not run around trying to wrap you up in a thorny embrace.

So, we punished the plants. And the unicorns. And Jael was able to water the tree, which was sitting in the middle of a damn stream in the first place so I'm not sure why that was needed and also to hell with that forest.

Next time, I'm bringing lumberjacks.

[ChrisDDickey]

From the journal of Zil, windling elementalist of the 6th circle, and Adherent of Garlan. 

One of Jael's thread items had a Deed associated with it that required him to visit a specific place in the Wyrm Wood and perform some trivial task. Jael has actually been delaying this deed for quite some time. You see, not many people want to go to the Wyrm Wood. Outsiders have never been made to feel particularly welcome there, not that the Elven Court could be accused of discurticy, It is just that, with the exception of a few windlings, non-elves are never made to feel at home there. So with the exception of a few merchants, few non-elves are really anxious to travel there. 

As for Elves, well, they are conflicted. On the one hand, the Wyrm Wood is the heart of elvish culture in Barsaive, and in fact of the known world. So they are all very, very anxious to hear of news from the Court. On the other hand, however... As I understand it, there was great division when Queen Alachia decreed that no elf should attempt to weather the scourge in a Therian style Citadel or Kear, but that all elves should return to the Wyrm Wood to spend the Scourge in a wooden Kear of Elvish design. Many elves refused to entrust their and their loved ones lives to a kear of living wood, and refused to return to the Wyrm Wood (or even left it). Queen Alachia was reportedly wroth, and threatened the elves with Separation. When the borders were all closed the Queen had not yet made good on her threat, but nobody knows if she did afterwards (so they don't know if they have been outlawed and exiled). So none of the elves of Thoral are particularly keen on being the very first elves back to the Wyrm Wood, to ask if they are forbidden to return. So in short, few have previously journeyed to the Wyrm Wood. And more ominously, none have returned. 

So among the possibilities, is that the wooden Kear the Elves built was not strong enough, and within the wood is lairing a horror strong enough to destroy the Queen and all her Court. Another possibility is that the Court is still there, but is arresting all the traitor elves who refused the Queens summons 400 years ago (and the descendants of the same). The possibility that the Queen is alive and is not nursing a grudge at the people who defied her 400 years ago is attracting fairly long odds among those who wager on such things. 

So like I said, All elves want knowledge of the Court, but few want to be the first to place themselves at the mercy of the court, and the other races don't really want to get involved. 

So Jael did not lightly decide to go to the Wyrm Wood. And he did not eagerly go to the Wyrm Wood. But decide to go, he bravely did. He decided to go directly to his enchanted glade and return without making any attempt to seek out any elves within the wood, but he did go to the wood. He asked Karl, Dvarim, Xeviouz, and myself to go with him. No other elves volunteered to accompany him. 

When I communed with my Passion for guidance, I got a strong sense of warning that this journey would not be an easy one, and would be fraught with danger. I got the feeling that visiting the Wyrm Wood and reporting on conditions within was an important task, but that it might be beyond me. 

The journey to Sossanopa has been safe for some time now, and we encountered no problems upon the road. We got somebody to ferry us across the Serpent for a small fee, and a few days later arrived at the outskirts of the wood. The entire area of the wood was surrounded by a huge swath of burnt and blackened grass. It was a league deep and stretched to ether side farther than the eye could reach. We traveled for several days along the edge of the burnt area. It gave every evidence of being a high quality, expensively maintained fire zone. Though we saw no living soul, we decided that the burn must have been repeated about monthly, nobody could approach the forest without being seen by any watchers in the woodline. There were frequent range markers, such as one would use to mark ones shots placed at 100, 200, 300, 400, and 500 yard markers from the edge of the wood. We say frequent huge piles of bodies. I mean huge, 20 feet tall and dozens of yards across. And Frequent, like every several hundred yards. Many name-givers, including elves, plus various animals. I clearly saw a bear skull. It is as if everything that died within the wood was added to these piles. We also saw hundreds of hanged elves, wrapped in vines hanging from the trees with their necks broke. Many were ancient skeletons, but some looked to be only months old. 

I peered into Astral Space, and felt a deep shock. It left as if the very Wood was alive. It was not just that the Wood had a pattern, but that something very powerful had been added to that pattern, or had manipulated that pattern. The pattern was not natural, somebody or something had crafted a supplementary pattern that had been bolted on to the ancient natural pattern of the area. The very Wood was hostile to everybody and everything that was not a part of that pattern.  The pattern was holding the magical background count very high, but the area was not totally corrupted. I mean I could feel corruption, horrors had stood upon the very ground I stood upon as I gazed at the wood. And I could taste the pain and death of the hung elves. But the overall flavor seemed to me more of strong, very, very strong magic. 

We talked about seeking out a settlement or checkpoint. It seemed that somebody was maintaining the burn. And the purpose of the burn was to give watchers an advantage. So we felt we must be being watched, but for some reason nobody ever approached us. We spent several days walking along the edge of the burn, not trying to hide, then crossed and entered the wood where the Mothingale exited it. We followed that upriver two days, when Jael announced that a tiny rivelett flowing into the river, in no apparent way in the least bit different than half a hundred others that we had passed without a glance, was the stream he was looking for, and we started following that. The way was difficult, it felt as if the very grasses and branches were attempting to bar our way and trip us (but there were no wood spirits inside them, I checked). At night I used the shelter spell to fashion safe places to sleep, 20 feet up in a large tree. The others found the tree strangely difficult to climb. 

We had several encounters with strange beasts, often similar to beasts we had seen before, but always covered with more spikes, thorns, and/or tusks that seemed proper. There were three swift Blood Boars, that had not 2, or 4 tusks, but their whole head was covered in tusks and spikes. Their skin was bloody from the many thorns that we at first thought were stuck into them, but then realized were sticking out of them. In the same encounter we a Thorned Toad (as big as a Human) attacked us, as did a Witherfang. In another encounter we were attacked without warning by 6 large wolves that ran right up to our camp-fire. They shot lightning from their eyes and also had thorns sticking out of their flesh (in the margin is added years later the words "These are Ethandrille").

We finally reached the headwaters of the rivellet, it was a spring-fed pond, with a lightning struck oak growing out of a tiny islet in the center of it. It was quite beautiful. There were 2 unicorns and 8 or 10 plants that walked slowly towards us to attack us with their thorns. After that fight Jael performed his ritual and we exited the Wood without seeking anything or anybody else. 

This was just a jaunt that Jael hand organized, so nobody was paying us or anything. Fortunately we were able to sell 2 unicorn horns, and a number of Blood Boar tusks, for a tidy pile of cash. We also brought back some of the thorny wolf hides, but only got a few copper for those.

[nathaniel]

From a parchment with " Jaen'val'Jael 'Jael' Savre account of a trip into the Wyrmwood, Throal copy" written at the top

What has happened to the Wyrmwood!?

Thoral opened, people were sent out, but no contact was made with the Elven Court or the villages in the Wyrm Wood. My trip to the outer reaches of the Wyrmwood has given me reason to think something is wrong.

It started out simply, a relaxing jaunt into the Wyrmwood. I had a deed that needed completion and I convinced my fellow adepts Karl Tomsson, Xeviouz, Dvarim Bolg, and Zil along with my sworn companion Selena to join me. Our trip to Sosanopa was uneventful as was our crossing of the river. A day after crossing we came to the edge of the woods. A mile from the edge of the Wyrmwood was burnt to the ground. There were occasional piles of rocks that Karl said were for distance sighting. There were no elves in sight, no one to ask about the burning.

My research told me of a spring that was my destination and how to find it. We followed the river into the woods to a specific branch, follow markers, and arrive at the spring. It was suppose to be simple. As we followed the Mothingale river into the woods we came upon a visage most foul. Namegivers of many races staked against trees with massive trunks, Dozens, maybe hundreds, of Namegivers staked on and beneath every tree all along the perimeter. A grim statement to any who would wish to visit.

The astrally perceptive among us wondered if this was the work of a horror and looked into the astral to confirm this. What they saw was apparently not horror taint but wood aspect kaer wards. This blasphemy against nature and elven heritage was their protection? I could feel the pull of the wood welcoming me home, but I'm not sure that this my homeland not anymore.

I came here with purpose and with purpose I lead my friends forward. We walked though the woods and the woods did not want us there. Every step was hampered lest we carefully watched our step we would be pulled to the ground. This was not the Wyrmwood I had heard stories about. It was darker, meaner, and oh so hostile.

We trudged though the woods following the river. Eventually a pained squeal announced beasts that were closer to horror than any I have ever seen. Boars with dozens of tusks piercing our of their head, bleeding even before we laid a hand on them. The boars were accompanied by a wither-fang snake and a thorned toad. I was glad in that moment that I thought to bring friends. I would have died without them. Even with powerful adepts at my side it was still a near thing. Those boars were tough.

We recovered as best we could, Zils devotion to his passion helped mend our wounds and we traveled on further. Eventually we made camp in the trees made safer with elementalist spells. The night was quiet with only the occasional sound from far off breaking the strange silence. We woke up the next day unmolested. It was only because we didn't build a fire I think. Not half an hour after Zil made a camp fire for Fire Heal we were attacked again.

Wolves imbued with lightning were drawn to the campfire. They did not catch us unaware. Thankfully Other than myself no one was seriously injured. I have spent too much time with Fang. I forgot how dangerous wolves were against a lone target. With my wounds healed we made for the spring.

The glade containing the spring felt like I was told the Wyrmwood would be, peaceful and tranquil. It was beautiful. As my eyes took in the spring and I laid eyes on the living vine that my armor was made from I took half a step before I saw them. Unicorns, the monsters whose beauty was only matched by their desire to kill. These beasts hunted for pleasure attacking anything they could find, including dragons! And Karl wanted one as a pet... I was able to dominate one into passivity, to give him a chance to bond with that beast (thankfully thought it was not to be). The dam foliage uprooted itself and began attacking everyone and everything in the glade.

It was madness, the plants attacked anything that wasn't a plant. The battle was swift, with my warning on the dangers of unicorns they were dealt with and the shrubbery was trimmed. I watered the vine that gave part of itself to eventually protect me.

We got out of there as fast as we could after my deed was done. Now that we knew a bit of what calls this wood home we were able to leave without much trouble.

A part of me wants to go back and be apart of the Wyrmwood, but I don't think that it's Name is Wyrmwood any more.

[spencer4hire]

Great journal posts.. I appreciate you all letting me listen in and be a part of it. The setting/atmosphere was amazing.