"Follow a little ways behind me, please." Iris said as she strode forward, down through the simple tunnel as she moved over to check the other side for dangers. Anyone capable of this much probably had more plans in store... but by using relatively abrupt resolutions, she was fully intending to try and convince them that they were in over their heads and further acts of aggression were pointless.
No other threats await you on the other side of your tunnel, and nobody appears seriously injured. The majority of them are in a state of confused shock, however, with many nursing bee stings and painfully removing thorns.
"I have healing for you." Iris said, clapping her hands to get attention from the crowd. "Is anyone seriously wounded?" If not, she'd make her rounds of the group, healing children and elders before the rest of the crowd.
Nobody's seriously injured, and your healing abilities are able to easily sooth the various scrapes, bruises, and stings.
As she finished healing the wounded, Iris nodded slightly, then gazed around the area again to check for more immediate problems. "Well. I suspect Mr. Tenzekil isn't going to leave it at that. Does anyone know where he might be right now?" she inquired, looking around the gathered guests.
"Probably somewhere in the forest, if I had to guess," Elyin replies after a little thought. "After he got Bleached, he wandered off for a few weeks. Today was the first time any of us had seen him since then, actually. Tenzekil's always been a little odd - even before the Bleaching - but I never imagined he was capable of something like this. Thank goodness you were here."
Elyin's guess seems particularly credible a few minutes later, as an unnatural mist seeps forth from the forest, slowly enveloping the village and surrounding area within an eerie, silent wall.
After a moment, Iris' staff lit up with the power of a Daylight spell. "I can't be both here and there." she said firmly. "If you wish to come with me to resolve this danger, you are more than welcome - I cannot guarantee it will be safe, but I will be there, and you will have the chance to help resolve things yourself. If any prefer to stay behind, Sorathel will stay here with you and lend her blade." Iris was firmly of the belief that people should be encouraged to seize control of their fates and act, rather than always waiting to be saved - but some, like the very young and very old, could not reasonably do so. Those who sought help would often receive it.
Elyin nods. "I'm pretty handy with a bow, and a few of us served in a militia back in the day. We'll see about keeping the women and children safe."
Iris smiled at Elyin. "Be ready to use it, then. And do not push yourselves too much - if something is too difficult to attack, help each other and defend yourselves." It helped to make sure everyone understood the plan. Once they were ready, she set out in the direction indicated, fully intending to resolve this problem before it could get worse.
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You set off into the mist. Visibility is low, and you can only see about 20ft in front of you through the thick fog. Still, you're a goddess of travel, and with that comes excellent navigational skills. Even though it's hard to see and you're traveling through unfamiliar territory, you know that you're going in approximately the right direction.
A couple hours into your trek, a slender, furtive figure separates from the trees, takes a couple steps, and then collapses to the ground with a gasp of pain. "Please ... you must help us!" a small voice implores. "They came from the shadows ... inside the mist! My sisters are dying! They're burning our trees! We have nowhere else to turn! You must help!"
Iris bent down next to the hurt figure, sending out a jolt of healing as she did.
"Where is this happening? Can you show us?" the goddess of the dawn inquired. On principle, she disliked those who burned forests... but it would help nobody if she set off in the wrong direction.
The dryad (for that's clearly what she is now that you're closer) coughs feebly. *cough* Our grove just south of here. Follow the gully like a trail, and it'll take you to a cluster of paueliel trees. Please don't let my sisters die!"
Well, the dryad didn't seem to be lying, and Iris nodded. "Rest and recover." she said. She turned to the mortals a moment later. "We're going to pick up the pace a bit. Don't rush so much you tire yourself, though - no sense going into combat exhausted." With that, she oriented herself and began moving south, following the dryad's directions.
As you turn to leave, the dryad shudders violently and goes limp. Her tree has perished. The villagers who'd initially come with you stay behind to lay her to rest properly.
After some time following the gully, you find a small clearing of silver-barked paueliel trees, many of which lie fallen and hewn into large piles. A bonfire bathes the fog hovering at the forest's edge with an orange glow, its flames burning away some of the mist and replacing it with the heavy tang of woodsmoke instead. A woman's screams punctuate the muted laughter of small figures capering about the fire. An elf-like female and a badly-wounded unicorn lie bound upon the ground near a stack of man-sized, hand-cut logs that have been crudely carved into humanoid forms.
Power flickered around the edge of Iris' staff as she strode forward at full speed, leaving those behind her to catch up as she would. "ENOUGH!" As Mihrel hit the ground, an Aura of Peace sprang into being over the injured - and that ought to protect them for the moment.
"I am sure you will not comply, but I give you the choice all the same." she said, gazing at the offense before her eyes. "Once I ask, twice I encourage, and thrice I command - surrender and repent for what you have done today, or suffer my wrath. Your ignorance limits you, but even so, you will take responsibility for your actions, and I will not give you a fourth chance."
Only one of the four figures (a quartet of the same strange-looking Spriggans from the village) is able to resist your charm. It promptly responds with a volley of thorns.
"You were warned." Iris' staff blurred a bit as she knocked down the only thorn that came close to visiting her. A moment later, she pointed it and triggered the spell she'd prepared, rocking the area of the Spriggans with an explosion of holy power. This would probably be much faster than smacking them down one by one.
Blind and furious, the spriggans proceed to shove the dryad into the fire.
Magic continued to glimmer on the end of Iris' staff as she focused her power... and she ripped the flames of the bonfire right off of the pyre, sending them whipping through the spriggans before allowing it to die out. "Have you still not realized your mistake? Then allow me to continue rendering judgment." she said, feeling the passion of the dawn rise within her. No matter how people might complain about having to wake up, the dawn came in its own time - and would not be ignored.
With the spriggans now both blind AND aflame, their threat is swiftly ended. Your judgement has been rendered.
Without hesitation, Iris strode forward and sent a burst of life-giving magic into the dryad they'd been pushing towards the fire.
At the same time, she glanced around the area - were there any more threats here that she'd need to take care of?
The dryad coughs and opens her eyes as your healing flows into her. "Thank you." The unicorn tries to stand, but it's still too weak at the moment. It touches its horn to the worst of its wounds, and the injury begins to knit back together. "We owe you our lives, young wanderer. I know not how, but hopefully I can repay you someday."
At that, Iris smiled. "Should you wish to repay me, just help someone truly in need someday." she answered, moving over to provide additional healing for the unicorn once her magic returned. "Do any threats remain in this area?" If people weren't in immediate danger, then frankly, extra care could wait until the bigger threat was taken care of.
"Rhoswen the Fellnight Queen. Her minions did this to us. She has an army!"
"Mmph." That might be a bit much for Iris in her current state. She wasn't currently in a state where she could wave a hand and blind the lot of them. On the other hand... she'd never been one to shy away because of the threats of others. More emotionally, she had Opinions regarding anyone who had the word 'night' in their title. The dawn banished the night in the same way water fell from the sky. It was how things were. "Will the two of you be alright by yourselves? I'll be doing what I can to put an end to this... incursion."
"Seek out Devarre the Forestkeeper. He'll know what to do. He lives near the fey mound to the west of here, shielded by illusions."
"I understand. By all means, do what you can, but don't push yourselves too hard." Iris said. "The dawn has come." With that, she turned around and strode back to the humans following her, quickly detailing the situation. "If any of you wish to turn back and ride this out, I'll understand. You didn't ask to face a queen - though she may not care what you want." Iris said. "For my part, I will continue towards her to resolve this, and any who want to continue with me are welcome."
Maybe she hadn't been getting enough sleep lately..... ooooor maybe it was just her flair for the dramatic and innate desire for attention. The dawn may have arrived in its own time, but it was also very demanding when it came to getting attention from others. Sorathel applauded dutifully, and Iris set out once more.
The fog thickens as you travel deeper into the forest, but by taking your time, you're able to avoid walking in circles. That's when you hear the sound of massive footsteps that shake the forest floor. A minute later, a loud thud rattles the nearby trees. One of them suddenly crashes to the ground in a cloud of dust and debris. With a groan, it rolls over and starts to right itself. Two large bleary eyes blink open. "More vissssh ... vish-uh... visitors ta the forest?" it slurs in a deeply drunken, booming voice. Then its eyes narrow in anger. "Why, I'll drive yuh right inta the earth for what yuh done!" It stands upright and takes an errant, off-balance swing with a giant gnarled fist, shattering a nearby treetop in a spray of bark and twigs. "Yuh won't be foolin' me again! Now stand still!"
"...Did you just accuse me of being a liar?" Iris asked, putting her hands on her hips and glaring up at the... treant? "I am here to help the forest, not hurt its inhabitants. Settle down and remember your manners."
The treant appears to have overindulged on nodrim - a popular treant concoction brewed from fermented apples, wood shavings, and draughts of pure water. The resulting intoxication can be cured with time, magic, or the administration of a large amount of fresh water.
At your rebuke, the treant's eyes clear momentarily. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean ta hurt anybody. What? I ... who ... who're you again? Cleansing rain, where am I?"
"I am Iris, the Lady of Spring." Iris said, walking right up to him. She reached into a small bag at her side a moment later, sliding out her Wand of Lesser Restoration and poking him with it. "Now, do you know where the intruders are or not?" She looked up at him from her rather lower height, staring right into his eyes.
It takes a lot to get through to a treant - especially one who's absolutely hammered on alcohol. Of course, you're not just anyone....
The treant blearily blinks at you in confusion until your restorative magic finishes its work. Then his eyes clear, and he shuffles his stumpy feet in embarrassment. "Beggin' your pardon, marm. I may have overindulged a bit. Things've been mighty hard around here lately. Creepin' mists and runty bramble spriggans all a-runnin' around causing trouble. Means the faengard's breakin' down, it does. Bad business, I say. Bad business."
<"And where is this Faenguard?"> she asked, switching to the fey tongue he was probably more comfortable with. Spirits of nature often were. <"More importantly, how can it be fixed?">
The treant (whose name turned out to be Vinroot) did, in fact, seem more comfortable conversing in the tongue of the fey. <"Faengard's a prison. The First World fey laid stone ta lock away one o' their own - an evil queen and sorceress named Rhoswen. If'n it be broken, only one o' the elder fey would know how ta mend it. You can find it over in the north ravine. Yer kind call it Dead Man's Drop. On account o' the waterfalls.">
Iris nodded. <"Thank you for the guidance, Vinroot. May the rains be pleasant and your harvests abundant."> she curtsied politely to him, then gestured to Sorathel and began heading north. A ravine probably wasn't going to be too hard to find, but the sooner she got there, the better.
<"And may your leaves be evergreen,"> Vinroot replies as he begins to wander away.
Dead Man's Drop is simple to find once you've located the river. As you follow it upstream, it gradually grows wider and faster. Eventually, the banks level off into a small pool filled with sharp boulders at the base of a fifty-foot waterfall.
Dead Man's Drop
Iris appreciated natural beauty - it was the best kind, really - but she wasn't here to sightsee. Glancing around the area, she set off for what looked like a set of stone steps heading up the eastern side of the waterfall. Instinct suggested the fey were likely to be at a higher vantage point... and failing that, at least easier to find from such a place.
An old overgrown game trail rises along the steep banks of the creek here, choked with boulders and water-carved rock from the runoff of previous flash floods.
"You first, I think." Iris said, looking over to Sorathel.
"As you wish, milady." Sorathel said, sheathing her gear and moving over to the rock face.
After a pair of false starts, Sorathel managed to haul her way up... and Iris warped to her side a moment later. It was rather more straightforward than the alternative... though, mostly, she was just opinionated about natural obstacles and didn't like to support the notion they could slow her down. Deities could be stubborn that way - the fact that you could do it through physical labor didn't mean you had to.
Sorathel suffers some minor bruising before she's able to successfully ascend the trail. You, meanwhile, warp up there with no difficulty.
A large bowl-shaped depression in the middle of the ravine lies half-filled by dual waterfalls descending from sheer cliffs above. The pool seems quite deep, with no bottom discernible from the shoreline, and remains turbulent as water funnels through the rocks to drop deeper into the gorge. Every few seconds a large swell of mist rises from the pool, obscuring all sight before slowly drifting into the forest.
As she arrived, Iris began to look around, peering both into and around the water. This was where the wardstone was supposed to be, hmm? In that case, it ought to be somewhere close by, though whether it would be so easy to find wasn't quite as clear...
After some analysis, the clouds of mist seem to be coming from the base of the northernmost waterfall. And, as you focus your gaze there, you begin to make out something gleaming under the water. On a closer look, there actually seems to be quite a few objects down there....
<"Guard the exit."> Iris told Sorathel, setting her bag down before gripping onto her bag and diving straight into the water. Air wasn't a problem thanks to one of her staff's minor powers, but she still needed to actually move through the water.
Which probably wouldn't be too hard...?
Swimming toward the objects isn't particularly difficult, but reaching them might prove challenging as a pair of Large water elementals coalesce before you. The nearest instantly begins creating a whirlpool that threatens to engulf you.