A/N: And here's the next chapter! Time for a new adventure to begin!
Disclaimer: I Don't own Dungeons and Dragons. I only own my original ideas.
Chapter 44: The Shadowed Forest
Our road took us further south, skirting around the edge of what was labeled on the map as the Namjan Forest. Eventually, after several day of travel, we came to a decent sized town called Timberwater. When we entered town, we could see that something was wrong. There was a strange dourness to the mood in town. We approached a member of the town guard to see if they had any information.
"Pardon me," asked Charles, "what's going on here? Is everyone alright?"
"Visitors?" said the guard, "you look like the skillful sort. Lord Alxion will wish to speak with you. Please, come along".
The guard led us to a larger manor-house, We were brought to an office where a Half Elf in fine clothes was working on a large amount of paperwork.
"M'lord, a group of adventurers have arrived here in town," said the guard.
The Half Elf looked up from his paperwork, considered for a moment, and then nodded.
"Thank you," said Alxion, "you may return to you duties".
The guard left, and Alxion stood from his desk.
"You've chosen a bad time to come to our lands," said Alxion, "though it is fortunate for me".
"Why is that?" asked Narcrath.
"Recently, something odd has been occurring in the forest," said Alxion, a strange pall of shadows has fallen over the forest, and people… entire villages that lie within the forest have gone missing. I sent a group of soldiers to investigate, but they never reported back".
"When did this start?" asked Lydratir.
"About a week ago," said Alxion, "people began to notice that waters of the Fehlween River turning dark, as if stained by whatever had occurred. People who drank from the river became ill".
"What about the plants and animals?" asked Krisyra.
"Those few brave enough to venture into the forest and return report that the forest itself has grown noticeably darker," said Alxion, "Shadows seen to cling to branches like vines and pool in thickets, As well, the sounds of animals have diminished, and even the air has become heavy and still".
"You said the people who drank the water of the river have become ill," I asked, "In what way?"
"They, and the few refugees we have, have reported that whenever has occurred within the forest spreads like a sickness, infecting those exposed to ins touch and draining their vitality," said Alxion, "Those touched by this gloom either vanish utterly, fading away as if ghosts, or become transformed by the darkness… and turn violent".
"Are there any particular areas of interest we should keep an eye out for?" asked Charles.
"Well, there are two permanent settlements," said Alxion, "the first is Stillwater, a hamlet on the banks of the Fehlween. According to refugees, this… Darkening, has overrun the town, and the fates of those living there are unknown. The other is Thistlehill, a small Gnomish community near the western edge of the forest. The Gnomes regularly trade with us in the minerals the dig up, but no one's heard from them in a while, so it's unknown if they've been affected as well. There's other things in the forest as well: the ruins of ancient watchtowers, a hill covered in worked stone that people call the Tumbles, and also a cave known as the Gullet which is said to be home to some kind of vicious monster, though what resides there depends on who's telling the story".
"This sounds like something we can aid you with," I said, "where should we begin?"
"If I may make a suggestion," said Alxion, "I'd say the best place for you to start is the village of Stillwater. There's a trail which roughly parallels the river which will lead you there".
"Thank you for your time, Lord Alxion," Krisyra, "We shall head into the forest as soon as we are ready".
We left Alxion manor, and made sure we were stocked up for the road ahead. As my companions gathered supplies, they also gathered additional information. Once we regrouped, they shared what they'd learned with me.
"From what I got, this area was long ago ruled over by a Sorcerer-warlord known as Uhl-Kal-Totten," said Narcrath, "What little information which remains indicates he was quite the despot, and tried to overtake all of Faerûn".
"So… just like every warlord ever?" I asked.
"Pretty much," said Narcrath, "eventually his rivals and foes came after him, and legend tells of how he fought hard, and in the end to prevent being captured, he dropped his most powerful spell right on top of his own head".
"I wonder… some of the ancient ruins Alxion mentioned are most likely remnants of this warlord's reign," I said, "you said he was a powerful sorcerer… what if in the ruins of his home, he left something behind… something powerful and dangerous".
"That's a possibility," said Narcrath, "but why now? This been many centuries… millennia even since Uhl-Kal-Totten ruled over this land. I can't think of any sort of magic that would delay that long before activating. Something… or someone must have activated whatever the source of this darkness is".
"Well, whatever might be the cause, I know we can stop it," said Kirsyra, "we're getting close.
A short distance to the north, we could see the forest. The trees seem to form a dense wall as they rose above the surrounding land. While someone like Krisyra can easily navigate through the forest itself, we decided it would be best to stick to the main path for now. Even at this distance, I could almost feel there being something wrong deep within the forest, almost like a brief whiff of a strange odor. There was something… other within the Namjan Forest, something foreign to this world, and we were the best hope for stopping it.
A/N: And there we go! Next time, Into the Forest. See you then!