It is a hard task that awaits you, no doubt. I will lend whatever aid I can. I can prepare potions and oil of many different kinds. If you wish, I may have time to make a few before you leave.
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"Gozreh's beard...wake up, lads! What are you doing, wandering around in the night, cursing and shouting and waving around your weapons?" Your vision clears, and you see the confused and apprehensive faces of your new friends and allies all around you. Many of them are brandishing weapons and scan the night for unseen enemies. You are all unharmed, and back to your old selves, but the fear and pain of the encounter you just had feels quite real.
Devarre shakes his head and leans closer as more bickering erupts. "As I feared - they are firmly entrenched in their own petty squabbles and beliefs. Do not lose heart - you may make them listen to reason yet."
"I suspect that it would be necessary to journey into the Fellnight Realm itself to repair the faengard. And such potent magic would most likely require a ritual of some sort. Maligorn and some of the other fey will know more. In any event, I doubt it will banish the Fellnight fey already here - they will have to be dealt with through force. The assembled warriors present here should be able to handle them, but if the entire army of the Fellnight Queen is allowed to escape, it will be another matter... Devarre motions to the food and drink in the tent. "I expect the conclave will be called in a matter of hours - until then, you are welcome to rest here. If any of you are injured, the unicorns and other healers will attend you, and if you need anything, just ask. I will come for you once the conclave is about to begin."
Devarre shakes his head at the leaving satyr. "Discuss it at the conclave...bicker and argue, he means. The fey can't even agree amongst themselves, let alone reach a common understanding with the elves and centaurs - and all of Avistan will be awash with spriggans before the treants muster a united voice." He looks weary, obviously tired from the events of the past few days. "I have done what I can to reason with the leaders of the various factions, but I doubt I will be able to move them closer to agreeing on a course of action. I believe you should address the conclave and tell your story to the whole gathering, just as you told it now. You must emphasize the cruelty and ferocity of the Fellnight fey, and the danger they pose. Only if the whole conclave acts united can we hope to seal off the Fellnight Realm again. Palombier, Fira, Vinroot and myself will do what we can to support you by bearing witness to your acts of bravery, but you must convince them. Will you do this?"
"He speaks the truth, Maligorn. I sent these lads to the falls not a day past - and the Fellnight fey have been causing trouble for longer than that." He turns to Tae. "There is still the question of how the stones ended up in that cave. None of the Fellnight Queen's minions should have been able to touch them - she must have had out side help."
Devarre steps closer to the group. "I believe we are only waiting for the last stragglers. It should not be more than a few hours. Until then, I suggest you get off your feet. Come, there is food and a hot fire nearby. I am eager to hear what you found at Dead Man's Drop, as I suspect are the leaders of the various factions," he says. Devarre motions for you to join him as he begins to move towards an area lit by several cookfires. On the way there, he adds in a discreet tone. "As you have probably gathered, there is far from a consensus on how to deal with this situation. Getting the different groups of the forest, including races as frivolous as the fey, and as proud and stubborn as the centaurs, to agree on anything, let alone unite as a fighting force, is no easy task. Your experiences and actions these past few may put you in a unique position. Fira has been spreading the tale of how you rescued her and Palombier, and Vinroot also speaks favorably of you - as do I, of course. I would urge you to address the conclave, once it is gathered."
"I thank you for your offer, you will most likely need everything you got. I have ressources and allies of my own to draw upon, and should the Fellnight Queen send more minions against me, they will not find me unprepared this time."
"Only this: be wary! Even more than the fey that inhabits this world, the Fellnight fey favor deception and deciept. Keep you wits about you at all times and never let down your guard."
"It is a fairly simple spell, and one I already have prepared. Now that the confusing effects of the domination have worn off, I need only to go outside and meditate for about 10 minutes, to meld my senses with the wilderness." Devarre rises and moves to the cabinet where he collects a few things needed for the ritual. He then motions for you all to follow him outside. As he steps out the door, he lingers for a moment to cast a sorrowful glance towards the pit with the dead wolf. Then he moves up the path to the hilltop. Seating himself cross-legged on the top of the hill, Devarre sprinkles a ring of brightly colored powder around him, then spends a few minutes drawing strange symbols into the earth. Once he is done, he mutters a prayer to the spirits of the wilderness, then plunges both hands into the ground, connecting himself with the surroundings. He remains in this position for about ten minutes, eyes closed. Then he rises and wipes away dirt from his hands before speaking. "The mists cover much of the land. They are undoubtedly connected to the Fellnight Realm somehow. They seem to be spreading from a waterfall about 15 miles upriver from here, a place called Dead Man's Drop. I am certain that if you find the source of the mist, you will learn more about how the Fellnight fey have escaped their prison." He points to the north. "If you travel directly west until you reach the river, then follow it north, you will find Dead Man's Drop. I will remain here, to guard this site in case further Fellinght fey come here - and to mourn my beloved companion Aspen. The first thing the spark forced me do was to cast him down into the pit to die from thirst and starvation."
"You've met Vinroot, eh? That old' log is almost as ancient as these woods. And they attacked the dryads too? I feared they would. The creatures of the Fellnight Realm bear a deep grudge against other fey, of the First World or this. Well, as you have already guessed, I've not quite been myself in the past few...days?...I've lost track of time, I'm afraid. I remember going out onto the hill around noon some time ago...a couple of days past, most like....I sensed a disquiet, as if the natural order of the area had been disturbed. To my alarm, I spied the unnatural mist rolling in from the north, and I at once knew that something sinister was at work. I was about to go back to my cabin to pack some things to go and investigate, when suddenly this creature, the spark, came rushing out of the mist and caught me unprepared. It managed to dominate my mind and assume complete control of my actions. Normally, a spark is a fickle creature which exists on the material plane only for a brief period of time before it is consumed by its own erratic energy. But this one was different. I suspect it has languished in the Fellnight Realm for aeons, and that it has been changed somehow by the magic of that realm. I thank you for your help in freeing me, and for not cutting me down once the spark forced me to attack you. I hope I did not injure any of you too badly while I was under the control of that wicked creature." With a grunt, Devarre hauls himself upright and moves to stand by one of the windows facing the hill. He gazes out at the enchanted stones as he continues to speak. "Now, let me tell you what I know of the Fellnight Realm and it's ruler. In an age long before the rise of man, a young fey-queen named Rhoswen sought to expand her power by blending shadow magic with fey sorcery, her efforts leading her to a gloom-shrouded valley with trees as tall as mountains. Rhoswen named this the Fellnight Realm and made it her lair, twisting every living creature with her shadow-sorcery. In disgust, other beings of the First World severed her lands from their own, trapping her in her own demiplane where she has languished ever since, seething at the insult. As you have already discovered, a powerful mirage arcana protects this part of the forest, emanating from three rune-inscribed monoliths erected upon the hill outside. The stones erected upon this ancient fey-mound serve as a collective anchoring point used by the First World fey to separate Rhoswen’s Fellnight Realm into its own demiplane. Each stone corresponds to one of the three planes involved in the process - the Material Plane, the First World, and the Shadow Plane. A sister site also exists in the First World and, together, they project the Fellnight Realm into closer proximity with the Shadow Plane. To hide this important site, the fey wove a powerful illusion into the stones to maintain the appearance of an undisturbed hillside. I discovered the stones while traveling the Verduran between Andoran and Taldor many years ago. I lingered here to study them and in time made this place my home. In time, I learned how to manipulate and extend the glamer enough to hide himself and my cabin from prying eyes. The return of Fellnight fey into this world can mean only one thing. The barrier that seals off the Fellnight Realm has been breached somehow. I am certain that the mist is somehow connected to this. I might be able to tap into the wild for some answers, but I will need a bit of time to prepare the ritual. Now, do ye have anythin' else ye want to know before I begin?"
Devarre sits up in bed, then frowns as if trying to collect his thoughts. "Being under the control of the spark for so long has drained me of my wits. Excuse me for a moment, while I try to clear the cobwebs from my mind." He mutters incantations for half a minute, then sighs as his magic repairs some of the damage. "Ah, that helped a bit, but I think I need to break out the reserves. Could one of you young fellows bring me the small earthware jug with the red wax seal from the cabinet over there?" Devarre waits for one of you to bring him the potion, then breaks the seal and downs the content. "There. Right as rain. Now, tell me...what do you know of Rhoswen, the Fellnight Queen?"
As Taecuss' healing magic brings him back to conciousness, Devarre gasps and struggles for a moment to rise. Realizing that he is back in his cabin, he slumps back down on the furs and exhales sharply. His eyes closed, he rubs his temples as if trying to clear his mind of a bad dream. "The spark...what happened....did you destroy it?" he mutters. |