At the Edges of the Stoneblight Forest
| At the Edges of the Stoneblight Forest | |
|---|---|
| Date | 3-11 April 2023 |
| Storyteller | Foster |
| Tier | Trainee, Medium |
| Player Characters | Oska, Absinthe, Grist, Devwin, Bright Eyes, Timid Thistle |
| Rewards | 20gp ea., Aeon Stone (Dustry Gray), Aeon Stone (Dusty Rose Prism), 200xp |
| Result | Success |
| Author | Indi |
Log
The group gathers with Jeremiah, the halfling scout who initially identified the spreading blight, to get a briefing. We learn a handful of key points;
- The Stoneblight happened several hundred years ago. Forests all over the world started turning to stone, usually from the center out.
- It affected plants and animals. Was real bad, by all accounts.
- The only way to stop the spread was the get rid of the material.
- Rings of fire burned down all the reachable vegetation near the blight and kept animals from going in and out.
- The stone trees are still out there in a lot of the old forests. Any sane person avoids entering the blighted woods.
- The spreading blight is slow, Jeremiah only noticed it because of the size differences between old and new trees.
With the information gathered Bright Eyes leads the party east on a two day journey to the edge of the blight. As we approach a figure garbed in oaken leaves studded with patches of bark emerges from a tree. She turns to Grist and commenting on his return. She is hesitant about us, asking if we're here to devour her siblings and burn the forest, but with some negotiating we manage to come to an understanding.
- She is a forest spirit that protects this area.
- The Stoneblight is beyond their ability to stop.
- The old Stoneblight forest, known as The Lost, is watched over by one of her sisters.
- Many animals have been driven to the outskirts of the forest recently.
We continue onwards towards the stoneblight border itself. We begin our investigations.
- Absinthe
- Assembles a laboratory and studies a sample. She learns after some study that the new blight is not exactly like the old.
- Devwin
- Scouts ahead of the party and searches for signs of a creature. He finds the haunch of a petrified rabbit.
- Timid Thistle
- Identifies the signs to point towards a Basilisk - a large eight legged reptile with the ability to petrify. They also learn the basilisk petrification can be cured using the fresh blood of a basilisk.
- Oska
- Finds the tracks of the basilisk which we follow.
We press on stumbling over a pit trap laid by an unknown assailant. There's more to watch out for here. At several points the remains of some petrified creature is found before we eventually make it to the final clearing. A basilisk lays dead with two petrified wolves and one unpetrified but killed wolf laying here.
- Timid
- Searches around the area for blight powder, eventually finding faint traces on a nearby petrifying tree.
- Absinthe, Devwin
- Assembles a laboratory to examine the basilisk blood. It's already cooled and has no effect on cleansing the petrified wolves. Though even in this state it might be usable for alchemical goods. A sample of the petrification powder and the stomach contents of the basilisk - including the two Aeon Stones - is obtained before we conclude our investigation.
- Oska, Bright Eyes, Grist
- Moving to the edge of the clearing, Oska and Bright Eyes encounter another forest spirit. They explain why we are here and she reveals a bit more about the situation at hand. Cunning invaders emerge from the Lost to set traps and blight trees with a special powder. They also discover that other basilisks exist but rarely come out of the blight.
Before we leave we convince the dryad to attempt trapping a basilisk. Their blood must be fresh for anti-petrification effects to be exhibited. Hopefully capturing one alive will allow a safer journey into the Stoneblight.