Defilement

The air grew cold as the storm carried on. Taeowyn ran off into dark night, hoping to find some healing waters. She walked for hours until she finally came into a thick, black forest of old dead trees. She stopped at the foot of one very tall, leaning tree. The wind moaned through the rotting branches. Taeowyn felt a chill of fear run through her body. She took another step forward and stood under the bow. There was a loud crack as the wind blew hard and Taeowyn looked up quickly. She managed to get out of the way on time as the old tree came crashing down to the ground. "This forest is dead," she told herself. "The banshee must have come through here when she fled." Taeowyn then ran into the cold, dead woods.

Taeowyn was trembling. The forest was so quiet, save for the creaking and moaning of the trees. There were no birds or animals living here. The forest was defiled by the coming of the undead maiden. It needed to be healed. The druids would renew the forest, if they knew about it, but there wasn't a druid near by. Shandris couldn't do much, for she was a sentinel warrior and she didn't practice the natural magic of the druids. Taeowyn decided that she herself should try and save the forest. She wandered even further into the woods.

The trees became thicker and the air became closer. Taeowyn could hardly see a thing. She used her staff to give off some light, but it wasn't good enough. A foul smell began to fill the air and Taeowyn cringed her nose. Further and further she went into the forest. The smell became worse and it stung Taeowyns eyes and nose. Taeowyn wondered what could be making the smell, then she came up to a clearing.

The trees seemed to form a wall, preventing Taeowyn from entering the clearing. She scrambled through the trees and finally came through. There was a small mound in the center of the tragic meadow. On top the mound was a spring. Small devilkin fairies floated around the defiled waters. Their black wings fluttered and buzzed over to Taeowyn. They began to screen in their little voices at her. When they came closer, they gave off a shadowy light that seemed to make things darker. Taeowyn shooed them away and ran to the edge of the pool. She looked into the water, it was dark and murky. There were face in the water. They moaned and screamed and Taeowyn jumped back. "What did that witch do here?" She wondered. "What can I do to save this place?"

What could she do? She wondered why she thought that she should save the forest if she hadn't a clue how. Taeowyn walked back to the pool and looked at the enslaved faces. "What happened to you?" she asked them.

"Pleeeeaaaaase..." they moaned. "Saaaaaave usssss."

"How?"

"The oooobeeelisk..."

"The obelisk? Where, what obelisk?"

"The Saaanders Thoooorn..." The faces told her but they drowned beneath the water before she could ask anymore.

"Sanders Thorn." Taeowyn muttered. "I wonder what that is." She stepped down from the pool and looked around. She saw a flash of something from the corner of her eye. She looked up and saw an almost invisible black crow fly away. She quickly ran off to follow it.

The crow flew down and into the trees. Taeowy came to the edge of the tree wall and found an opening. There seemed to be a path leading through the forest. The path followed the source of the pool. Taeowyn followed the trail. She could see the crow flying ahead of her. Every now and then he would caw at her. She followed the bird for some time until it stopped and landed on a branch. Taeowyn ran up to the bird and it cocked it's head further up the path. Taeowyn looked ahead to see a dark obelisk.

Taeowyn walked through the trees and into the small clearing in which the building was. The building was dark and haunting. The base was pyramid like. Skulls and human remains were slapped all over it. In the center was a large, stone pillar with runes written on it. On all four corners were culverts, and leaking out of them was a dark, green ooze that ran into the forest. Taeowyn looked at the revolting river. "So this is what was defiling the fountain." She said and she moved closer.

There was a small door at the top of a small stair case. Taeowyn was frightened but she walked up the first step. She could hear an eerie wine coming from inside. Taeowyn walked up the rest of the steps and looked at the door. There was a skull for a door knob and blood was splattered over the splintered wood. She put her hand on the skull and turned it. The door blew opened and Taeowyn was sucked in, she closed her eyes and clenched her fists. The door slammed behind her and she slowly opened her eye lids.

A corpse lay on a stone bed, with chains holding its arms and legs. There was a large hole in the bodies stomach and out came the oozing, green water that poisoned the forest. The ooze ran off the bed and down four main ducts which led to the outside. Taeowyn was terrified and ran to the door. It wouldn't open. She tugged hard at the handle but it snapped off. She turned around to look at the corpses but it was no longer there. Taeowyn stepped back from the door.

The wood splintered into a thousand pieces as Taeowyn lowered her staff. She ran back outside and down the stone steps. She looked back at the black obelisk. The green water wasn't flowing out of it anymore. Taeowyn turned around, getting ready to get out of the forest but the body stood right in front of her. Taeowyn screamed and backed away.

"Who are you?" Taeowyn asked.

The undead carcass turned it's head sideways. I looked at her with curiosity. "I am Sander."

"Sander? So this tomb is yours?" Taeowyn said with fright in her voice. "This is Sanders Thorn?"

"It is mine!" Sander screeched. "Let me add your corpse to my collection!" He waved his hand and large pikes shot out of his tomb. The pikes were hung with the bodies of dead figures. Taeowyn looked upon the dead with disgust. They were short little folk who greatly resembled the Gnomish race of the Alliance.

"Who are they?" Taeowyn exclaimed. "Are. . . they. . . gnomes?"

"They are my slaves! You shall now join them now, come along." Said the ghoul and he lunged toward Taeowyn.

Taeowyn jumped out of the way and ran back down the path through the woods. She ran until she came back to the clearing with the fountain. She stopped, panting, trying to catch her breath. She gagged as the defiled air from the fountain entered her lungs.

Taeowyn looked behind her. Sander was no where to be seen. She walked backwards looking down the path. Taeowyn stumbled on a root and fell down on her behind. She got up quickly and with the blink of an eye there where two very bony arms wrapped around her neck. Taeowyn dropped her staff. The ghoul was on her back. He squeezed her hard and Taeowyn couldn't breath. His legs hugged her waste as she danced around in the dark. She could hear Sanders groggy breathing close to her ear. The smell of his rotting flesh was unbearable. She thought that she wasn't going to last when the crow flew down and began to peck at the ghoul. Sander fell off Taeowyn and she ran for her staff.

She gasped for air. The crow was doing a good job at distracting the ghoul. Sander growled and gurgled. He flung the crow off of him and pounced at Taeowyn. Taeowyn deflected him with her staff. Sander swung his long, bony arms at her. He caught Taeowyns shoulder with his sharp claws. Taeowyn screamed in agony. Her arm oozed with the same green liquid that ran into the well.

Sander lunged at her again but Taeowyn swirled around and slammed him hard on the back. She heard a loud crack and the ghoul broke in two. The upper half of sander snarled at her. He stood himself up with his arms. The green water gushed out of him. The water burned the ground as he swooshed back and forth on his arms. Sander looked at Taeowyn and Taeowyn looked at him. Sanders eyes turned a venomous green and he opened his mouth long and wide. The poisonous water shot out of his mouth at Taeowyn. It just barely caught Taeowyns cloak. The fabric melted away from the acidic water. Taeowyn swung her staff again, but harder. She hit Sanders head and it flew off into the fountain. His upper torso fell to the ground beside his legs.

The fountain steamed and bubbled. Taeowyn ran over to it and looked inside. The spirits in the water were tearing apart Sanders head. He screeched and hissed. Then a bright, shining emerald shot out of his forehead and landed at Taeowyns feet. It sizzled and steamed. The crow then flew over to her and squawked. "Do you want to me to take it?" Taeowyn asked the crow. It squawked again and she picked the dark emerald. The crow squawked again and began to fly. Taeowyn followed him.

The crow led her down another path. This part of the forest wasn't as dark and dead as the rest. The path eventually led to an abandoned village. The village was built on a series of hills. Some houses were in low trees and some were under the hills. There were some buildings that were built standing on the ground but the majority of the buildings were built in very large, colorful toadstools. The vibrant colors of the toadstools were faded though, and the mushroom heads were wilted and rotting. The windows of the houses were dark and broken. The doors hung on their hinges and the foundations of most of the dwellings had fallen down.

The crow flew through the village with Taeowyn following him. He led her to a small mound in the center of the villages. There on the mound was an anvil and a large hammer. The crow landed on the anvil and Taeowyn walked up to it. "Do I smash it?" She asked the crow. It cawed back at her and she put the crystal on the anvil. She picked up the hammer. It was very heavy and Taeowyn held it up with both hands. She looked at the crystal and brought the hammer smashing down on it.

The shards flew in all directions creating a blinding blast of green light. Taeowyn was knocked back. She looked up at the anvil and saw a wisp of silver and green mist spin around. The mist formed a face in the light. Taeowyn gazed at it.

Long strands of white hair blew around a ghostly face of a woman. Taeowyn looked into the woman's empty eyes and she felt nothing but anguish. She was entranced by the woman's gaze. Her face was beautiful, but it looked sad. Taeowyn felt pity for her. She stood up and was about to speak when the face opened it's mouth wide open. Out poured a deafening, mournful wail. Taeowyn put her hands to her ears and fell back down to the ground. The face evaporated into the air and was gone, but the green mist was still there.

The forest around Taeowyn began to lighten up, the sun was high in the sky. Taeowyn looked at the mist. It turned a clean white and blew around the forest. The village renewed itself and the toadstools got back their color. Taeowyn looked around for the crow but instead found a stout, gray haired man. He was actually a gnome. He had a large nose, large floppy ears and big hands and feat. He wore a dark blue tunic with big boots and gloves. His gray hair pooffed on top his head and on the sides of his face. He smiled at Taeowyn. "Thank you little girl." He said in a funny accent. "My name is Tingle."

"Please to meet you Tingle, my name is Taeowyn." She replied.

"I know it is." He said as he walked over to Taeowyn and helped her up. "You have saved Sappy Forest. You are our Heroin. Quick, you must follow me."

Tingle ran down from the mound and went back through the village. Taeowyn once again found herself following this person. She watched him run and she giggled. He waddled really fast and his little arms swayed at his sides. He made little footprints in the soft earth. Tingle led her back onto the path and through the woods.

The air smelt fresh and sweet. All around, Taeowyn saw the forest rejuvenate itself. Flowers and tiny trees sprouted out of the dead earth. Green grass covered the forest floor and the trees came back to life. The trees spirits flew all about, healing as the went and returning to their bows. The sweet smell of life surrounded Taeowyn.

Tingle brought her back to fountain. The spirits that were trapped in the pool flowed out and returned back to their homes. But what surprised Taeowyn was that the clearing that was empty when she left it, was filled with tiny people, gnomes who must have lived in the village. They were all looking traumatized from what had happened to them but when they saw Taeowyn and Tingle they cheered and danced. They ran over to Taeowyn and picked her off her feet. They carried her around and around the fountain.

After a long while of rejoice they returned her to her feet. "Don't you wish to return to your village?" Taeowyn asked them after they all settled down. The gnomes looked at each and were murmuring. Then they all scrambled around and ran into the forest. They returned back to their homes restarted their lives. Tingle stood there in front of the fountain with Taeowyn.

"Taeowyn, we have no idea how to thank you for what you've done." He told her.

"I know what you can do," she said and he looked her with his big, green eyes, "tell me what happened here."

Tingle looked at her and nodded. He ran over to the fountain and sat on a little stone seat the was placed at the edge of the water. Taeowyn sat beside him.

"It all started several years ago," he began. "We forest gnomes have lived here in Sappy Forest for many ages. We lived in peace and happiness since we can remember. No other race has ever known about us. We stayed in our forest and never came out, but we could keep track of what was happening in the outside world. You see the reason why our home is in this forest is because of this pool." He stopped and pointed to the water. Taeowyn leaned down and looked at her reflection. Her reflection began to fade and she saw something else in the water. Her vision scanned through the forest and out into the world. She could see far into the outer lands. She could see the ocean, Ashenvale forest, the Stonetalon mountains and then she came across Bazzil sleeping by the fire, wrapped in one of her cloaks, and she remembered about her friends.

"I can see across the lands." She said to Tingle.

"Yes, I know. This is what we used to find out what happens in the world." He said. "Everyday I came here to look upon the world, but one day I saw a ghost coming from the north. She looked sad and I felt pity for her. Everyday when I came to the pool, I saw her coming closer and closer until she finally reached our forest. Then on midsummer's eve, she came to this pool. I was sitting here waiting for her to come. She didn't say anything for a long time. We sat here in silence, not saying a thing. Then she finally said, "I am Brandistock.""

"Brandistock!" Taeowyn interrupted. "The Banshee?"

"I guess she was a banshee," continued Tingle. "because after she told me her name she let out a piercing wail. I covered my ears. The forest shook and the ground quaked. Darkness came throughout my home. I began to cry for the trees and animals in the forest. "Stop it" I yelled, "Stop it." But she wouldn't stop. I stood there for the whole night, waiting for her to stop. My friends and family were all mortified. Her torturing screams killed them in their homes. She killed the whole forest. I was devastated, but I was wondering why she didn't kill me." He paused for a moment. "When the sun rose, she finally stopped her song of death. She looked down at me and smiled. Her piercing eyes cut through me and I felt a sharp pain. I felt myself morph into a bird, a crow. After my transformation, I took off into the trees. I watched her spread more chaos throughout my home. She rose my friends and family into undead beings. Their souls where taken from their bodies and enslaved in this pool. The pool became defiled and it turned dark and evil. She took the bodies and led them south, but before she left she made an undead guardian to stay in the forest. Sander, our King here in Sappy Forest, was sent to the River Temple. Brandistock implanted the poison emerald in his head and he became corrupt. There in the River Temple he was chained and he produced the defiling source of water for the spring to keep the spirits form escaping. For years the forest was forced to stay dead like this and I could do nothing but look for worms to eat, and then you came along Taeowyn. You saved us."

Taeowyn said nothing. She looked at Tingle.

"When you smashed the crystal," Tingle continued, "you released Sanders spirit from his enslavement, and lifted Brandistocks Curse of Anguish. The spirits from the pool were given new bodies and I was returned back to my former self." He smiled at her. "Now please come, I wish to take you to my village again." He got up and stood on the seat the he was sitting on. He was level with Taeowyn, who was still sitting. She looked back into the water and saw Bazzil again.

"But wait, I came into the forest because I was looking for a healing spring."

"And here is a healing spring."

"Yes, but I have some friends who are hurt. They are off in the desert right now."

"I know, I have already sent some people to retrieve them." Said Tingle and he hopped off the bank of the pool.

"But. . ." started Taeowyn with confusion but she stopped herself. She hopped off the bank as well and followed Tingle to his village.

When she arrived, the gnomes were celebrating, celebrating life. Taeowyn joined in the fun. She danced and ate with them. Fresh fruit and herbs were gathered from the forest. Instruments were quickly made by the skill of the gnomes and they had a party.

They partied up until the sun set. Then Tingle found Taeowyn and told her to follow him. He led her back to the fountain and she saw the company. She ran over to them. They were wearing their own clothes and were healed of their hurts. "We found their horse and gave them back their things." Tingle told Taeowyn.

"These little guys are quite an interesting race." Said Nazdhar who was completely healed.

"Yes," said Bazzil, "quite different from me own race."

"Well Taeowyn you have shown us your true self." Said Shandris. "You owe our lives to you."

"And to your people, Tingle." Said Sylan.

"You guys were badly hurt," said Tingle, "you should rest. You guys can stay a few days in Sappy Forest if you like. Then you can continue on with you expedition."

"Tingle," Taeowyn said, "how do you know about. . . oh, never mind." She understood. But the rest were puzzled.

The company was taken back to the village. The gnomes set up a place for them to sleep. They made nice, soft, warm beds of moss and leaves. The moon shone through the green trees and the soft trickling of water could be heard from somewhere in the forest. They each fell asleep one by one. Taeowyn, for the first time in a while, felt at peace. She let her worries wonder away from her and let herself fall into a dream of happy fauns and butterflies in the forest.