These look like pretty standard specimens of Shadows - and judging by the fact that they're staying outside the gnome's circle of light, they're probably vulnerable.
Iris gestured slightly, and the air beside her shimmered for a moment, quickly coalescing into Sorathel's form. Light and energy crackled around her hand a moment later as she sent a bolt of Searing Light streaking across the darkness and towards one of the Shadows. It took a bit longer to regain her energy when she wasn't casting from her staff, but that was an issue she was willing to accept.
"Begone, Shadows." she said flatly, even as Sorathel moved forward to intercept any of the Shadows that tried to reach Iris.
Your spell obliterates the closest shadow. That instantly draws the attention of the other two, which charge toward you and Sorathel.
for
for
Sorathel slashed out twice with her weapon as the Shadows came in, with both of the blows being... fairly decent ones, actually, and the second rather better than the first.
Sorathel's quick strikes take down one of the shadows.
Smoothly pivoting around, Sorathel stepped forward and lashed out at the other Shadow, slicing diagonally up from the lower left before twisting her blade and slashing horizontally at the Shadow's neck. As the angel dealt with the Shadows, Iris focused on undoing the damage that had been done. Shadows' ability to sap strength could be very nasty if not addressed immediately... and she looked over to the Gnome. "Are you all right?" she inquired.
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Sorathel's attacks destroy the last shadow. The gnome's face shows a mixture of terror and relief. "I - I - I think so?"
Sorathel remained on guard, and close to Iris, as the goddess moved over to the gnome and knelt down beside him. "Are you hurt at all?" she asked. "And can you tell me anything about what's going on here, and where these shadows have been coming from? I'm here to put a stop to them, and anything you tell me - anything at all - could be useful."
It takes a minute or two for the gnome to calm down, but once he does, you discover that he's got quite the mouth. "Aside from the emotional trauma of watching my friends turn into f%$#ing shadows, you mean? No, I'm just fine. I was able to get to the sunbreath quartz before they got me - saved my f!##ing life. I'm almost out, though, so it's f&*@ing awesome that you showed up when you did. S@%@ would have gotten real in another day or two. What happened? The f+*&ing Darkness came! Flowed in from the northeast and corrupted everything. Turned everyone into f*!%ing shadows - even our f%$$ing mascot! Such b+!%++&$!" A sudden topic change: "Hey! Got anything to eat? I'm f$+@ing starving!"
Iris blinked, but tapped her staff on the ground. Her spell to conjure food wasn't as immediate as most magics, but it would call up more than enough to fill the little one's belly.
Sorathel, on the other hand, had already opened her mouth to say something sharp when Iris, knowing her friend quite well, simply raised a hand to head it off. The angel promptly lowered her head.
<"Yes, my lady."> she said in Celestial. Sorathel's loyalty had always been one of the qualities Iris had appreciated the most, and while she appreciated Sorathel's anger on her behalf, it wasn't as if he'd actually been swearing at her. The angel was more than ready to defend Iris' honor - or ears - at any time, but she knew (and was content with) her place.
"Northeast..." Iris mused. "...It'll take a bit for the food, but rest assured, I'll fill your stomach for you. Is there anything druidic to the northeast? Any special groves, or monuments, maybe?"
"That'll be f%+%ing fantastic! I've been stuck down here for ages. Ummm.... there's an old watchtower. Not much to look at, and I heard an owlbear lives in the vicinity. Can't really think of anything else."
A watchtower... huh. "What sort of things were they watching for?" Iris inquired as the food slowly began to take shape. "Fire, perhaps? Events like this darkness are usually tied to a location or object of some kind... it's rather rare for them to simply appear out of thin air." It wasn't totally unknown - some kind of great divine curse might work that way - but by and large, there tended to be a catalyst.
"Beats me. It was there when I moved here. For f!%*'s sake, I'm a miner, not a historian!"
<"True, but locals often hear things about their area."> Iris answered with a patient smile. The food finally finished appearing, and she offered the first bite to the gnome. <"I suppose that's where I'll be looking, then. Would you like me to escort you to the surface, or to anywhere else inside these mines?"> she asked. Then, thoughtfully, <"And you didn't uncover anything strange when you were mining, did you?">
<"Nah, I just want to get outta here and find some place with lots of light. I'm done with dark places. Hey! You want to take some of the sunbreath quartz with you? It kept my butt safe until you got here, after all.">
<"I'd like that."> Iris answered. She wasn't terribly familiar with the substance, but it sounded like exactly the kind of thing she loved, and she certainly wasn't going to object to substances that created light and helped to keep the shadows at bay. Where had the stuff come from, anyway...? That might be worth checking out sometime, especially if it was related to whatever was going on here.
She would, however, happily escort the gnome up to where there was light - with Sorathel taking rear guard and watching for any more Shadows.
The gnome gives you most of his small stock but keeps a few crystals for himself, "Just in case." The walk back to the surface is, thankfully, uneventful. As there's still a few hours of daylight left, the gnome should be able to get back to civilization without too much difficulty.
1) If exposed to light for an hour, sunbreath quartz emits a pale yellow glow equivalent to a candle. This illumination lasts for 12hrs before the crystal needs to be recharged.
2) By casting a spell with the [light] descriptor on a crystal, sunbreath quartz can be used as a single-use weapon against creatures affected by exposure to bright light. A charged sunbreath quartz can be thrown as a splash weapon with a range increment of 20ft. Upon impact, the crystal shatters, releasing the light. A struck creature must make a Fort Save (DC 10 + stored spell level + spellcasting attribute modifier) or be blinded for 1rd. Creatures without eyes are immune to this effect. If the struck creature possesses light blindness or light vulnerability, it also takes damage equal to 1d6 + spellcasting attribute modifier.
3) If used as an additional material component for a spell with the [light] descriptor , sunbreath quartz transforms the spell into a ray capable of damaging shadow creatures. On a successful ranged touch attack, a struck creature takes 1d8pts of radiant damage.
As the gnome left, Iris noted the major features in the area - including the problems with the bridge (she didn't elaborate on how it had been destroyed, simply that it was) and the other things she'd noticed along the way. She had Opinions on giving people directions that might make them trapped somewhere. Only after he'd set out did she slip the crystals into her pockets and head towards the northeast, intending to find this watchtower. If nothing else, it might help her get a better view of the terrain. Sorathel followed alongside her, weapon bared and ready.
It takes you an hour and a quarter to reach the site of the watchtower. It's missing its upper floors and has been gutted by fire and time, leaving only the shell of a once-formidable redoubt. The ruin stands in a dark clearing like a tombstone to some forgotten age. What's left stands approximately 50ft high.
Iris slowly walked around the structure, examining it from multiple angles. What fire had swept through here, and why? Usually, the whole area would have been burned if it was natural - suggesting that the attack was a little more deliberate. In that case, the question was when exactly that had occurred - if the attack was old, it probably wasn't relevant. If recent... she might be able to learn something.
The interior of the tower is filled with mounds of fallen masonry, underbrush, and vines. A small firepit containing cold ashes and charred wood is dug in the ruin's center. Whatever caused the tower's destruction seems to have happened at least a century ago.
As you explore, you disturb a pair of grimseens - creatures native to the Shadow Plane that resemble headless bats trailing inky tentacles. A few short bursts of light are sufficient to banish them.
And in all this time, nobody had bothered to fix the place up, eh? It couldn't have been considered very important to them, then, and it didn't seem likely that the source of the trouble was here. With that, she headed back outside and nodded to Sorathel, then returned to the path and headed up towards the northwest, following the trail and keeping an eye out for anything that might've interested a druid. She was still wondering about that, and it certainly wasn't going to hurt to keep an eye out...
Before too long, the sound of howling and the thump of hooves on the soft forest floor rings out around you. Bursting from out of the trees comes a pack of wolves, their eyes bright with panic. A moment later, another beast rushes from among the boles, branches tearing free from trees in its passing. Pursuing this wolfpack is a large elk, its fur a dusky ash color. Strands of writhing shadows dangle from its horns. You and Sorathel are directly in the path of the animals.
Iris flipped her staff around and pointed its end at the oncoming creatures. The wolves weren't a concern, really - fleeing predators generally didn't take the time to attack anything. The elk was another issue entirely, and tendrils of light lashed upwards to grab the creature and allow the beasts of the wood to flee. She wasn't quite sure how tough it was - shadow-possessed creatures could be much tougher than they looked - so it was more important to slow it down for a bit. Sorathel stepped in front of her a moment later, shield raised to deflect any creature still coming at them.
As it turns out, while tougher than a regular Elk, shadow-touched creatures don't last long against someone who's the literal embodiment of the light of the morning.
More and more creatures... and more corruption. With a slight shrug, Iris continued moving in the direction that the animals had come from. If they were moving away from something, that something was probably of interest to her... or at least in the right direction. Hopefully. The relevant point was that she sure wasn't going to find it if she didn't look around, so at least for now, staying on the move was her priority.
Only a mile or two farther to the northwest, you see a drastic change to the area. Where before everything was covered in darkness and creeping shadows, the forest seems almost completely normal here. It seems you've found the edge of the Darkening's influence - although you know that it will eventually infiltrate and take over this area too if it's not stopped.
Hm. ...Actually, this was lovely. She knew where the opposite edge was, and she knew where this edge was - which meant it wasn't actually that difficult to figure out where the centerpoint of the darkness was likely to be. Things like this tend to emanate outwards, and while it wasn't quite as good as finding that place directly... anything that would lead her to it was enough to satisfy her.
While your estimate isn't super precise (you only have two points of information, after all), you're able to determine a roughly four-mile area that's the likely centerpoint of the Darkening. However, even with your speed, it'll take at least 90min to reach that location, and you'll then have to begin the lengthy process of searching four square miles of forest. The sun's beginning to set, and it'll be completely dark within the hour.
Iris glared slightly at the sky as the sun started to set. She'd never liked evenings very much, and now even less so than usual. <"All right, let's get back to that tower. I'll want you to be on watch while I'm sleeping."> she told Sorathel, and the angel simply nodded. With so many undead around, going to sleep without some added level of safety was foolish as best. Come morning, though... well, it was clear that the goddess of the dawn was planning to follow her nature and do what she did best.
During the night, your rest was interrupted on two occasions by a shadow-touched owlbear and a small pack of shadowy wolves. You and Sorathel were able to fight them off without too much trouble, but the interruptions meant you'd have to rest longer than normal or risk fatigue.
As she usually did, Iris got up before the dawn in order to focus her mind and prepare for the day ahead of her. Fatigue wasn't really a problem for her, given her talents in the field of recovery... but perhaps more to the point, she was a little stubborn, and refused to let something as mundane as the current physical condition of her body stop her from doing what she intended to do.
It takes approximately 90min for you and Sorathel to travel to the estimated start point of the Darkening. As you travel, it's clear that the pervasive darkness has spread overnight. You see numerous shadow-infused creatures, but they're easily dispersed.
Creatures of shadow didn't frighten her... but they were a threat to others, and the more of them she saw, the more determined she was to fix whatever was going wrong here. The darkness was spreading where it didn't belong... so she was bringing the light to fix it.
Several hours later, you find a small tributary that flows into the Fehlween River from the west. The water is inky black and filled with swirling shadow. Before the main river reaches this point, its waters are clear, but afterwards, it becomes filled with swirling shadows. You're getting close.
Following the tributary upriver, you soon come to a low island formed by a mass of ancient fallen stones. Tumbled together and half-buried under centuries of forest loam, the moss-covered stones have been weathered by storms and time. Sprouting among the broken masonry is a titanic oak tree rising at least 50ft into the air. Its trunk is dusky ash in color; its leaves glossy obsidian. Hanging from the branches are thick coils of shadow that drip slowly down toward the ground like black honey. Partially hidden by twisting roots is the narrow mouth of a tunnel sinking into the ground.
"Oh, good." Iris said, slowly pacing around the tree and examining it with the many senses at her disposal. Only after satisfying herself with that did she begin striding down the tunnel, Sorathel beside her. A few flickers of light could be seen around the end of her staff - she'd recharged it the night before just to be sure, since she'd had power available, but for now she was more focused on being ready for whatever dark powers made this place their home.
As you got closer, the tree suddenly lashed out with dripping coils of shadow.
Iris darted backwards, looking to get out of the tree's range as Sorathel moved in front of her to shield her from future blows. "Well. One more shadow to get rid of." Iris said, frowning as she looked at the plant. She sent a surge of restoring energy into her body a moment later. "Leave this one to me." she added, looking to see if the tree could actually reach where they'd retreated to. If not... she knew exactly what to do.
The shadowy branches continue to snap at you as you tumble out of range, but your speed is more than sufficient to avoid further injury. As long as you remain at least 20ft away from the tree, you'll remain safely out of reach.
Iris nodded slightly as she verified the range, taking a few moments to finish healing herself - then she simply began launching attacks from afar. It was, alas, less glamorous than rushing up to something and boldly engaging it in manly combat... but she was no hero from epic stories, and she was quite content to use the creature's rooted nature to her advantage.
New bark grows on the tree just as fast as you blast it away. It only takes a few moments to realize that whatever shadowy force has corrupted the tree isn't going away anytime soon. On a positive note, the incredible resilience means you're almost-certainly right on top of the source of the Darkening.
Iris considered the lack of damage for a moment. Interesting... but also something of a challenge, given her nature. She couldn't very well not do everything in her power to overcome a shadow effect that was trying to harm and block her way, and sneaky things like turning invisible simply weren't her style. There was always scouting the path and simply warping in, but... she might have been inclined towards stubbornness here.
Instead of backing down, she simply pointed her staff at the tree and triggered the powers within, calling up a sphere of light fortified with stellar energy. Now, how was the tree going to react to this?
The tree shrivels for a brief moment before your spell is simply consumed by its shadowy aura.
Bugger. It had still been worth a try, though... and that meant she'd just have to bring the light to the inside instead. (Not bringing the light wasn't an option that ever crossed her mind - a fact that would surprise exactly nobody who knew her.
The tunnel under the corrupted tree is unnaturally dark. Even with your enhanced vision, you can only see about 20ft ahead of you - and that's WITH a glow active on your staff. The tunnel winds downward for fifty feet or so before you begin to make out a chamber ahead of you.
Iris paused as she reached the chamber. She'd decided to use the Hidden Light of her staff to avoid letting others see her approach, and as she neared the chamber, she simply focused on her hearing, trying to discern if there was anything in the area ahead. Sometimes sight wasn't the best sense to use... not that she'd ever admit that in public.
The steep shaft terminates in a dark chamber, its contents largely obscured by the almost-physical gloom that fills the space with shadows. A collapsed wooden rack and smashed barrels are vaguely discernible in the dark, and the stone floor is littered with shards of broken, dusty glass.
As you poke around, webs shoot from the darkness at the two of you. Giant spiders scuttle out from dark corners, their bodies seemingly sucking in any ambient light.