Gwenllian searched the forest floor for the
runecrafted stones General Stanig asked her to find. They were scattered throughout the forest,
but their placement suggested they had been disrupted or moved. Many of the stones she found were lying on
their sides or half buried in the underbrush of the forest.
After gathering as many as she could handle
she made her way to Sergeant Ognin at the Runeguard outpost in Faering Woods. As she approached she overheard his discussion
with one of the other Runeguard.
“This place disgusts me.” He said with
venom. “As if fae on their own aren’t
bad enough, now they are tainted by death magic as well.”
“I never thought I’d return to this place.”
The other Sergeant replied. “The death
that swept over this land was greater than any force I’d ever seen.”
They broke off as she approached and rushed
to her side to take some of the stones.
“What?!” He said in disbelieve as she
relayed her directions. “A ghost of
General Stanig told you to bring these Runecrafted Stones to me? I’d call you a liar if my bones didn’t tell
me this is something the old general would do.”
Gwenllian laughed. “This is exactly the reaction he said you’d
have.” She looked around behind them, searching the darkness for the pearly
sheen of the ghost. “I wish he was here
to see your face.”
“I do to, Lass. It warms my heart that the spirit of my old
friend is still looking after us. I
believe I know what General Stanig has in mind.
These stones were used at the height of dwarven power, and they may
allow us to save this forest. I’ll belss one of the stones with the words of
Bahralt, god of the city. With it, you
can purge Gorvaht’s corruptions before it spreads.”
“That’s perfect!”Gwenllian exclaimed. “One less area of moonshade to worry about
would be a load off everyone’s mind.”
Gwenllian, Sergeant Ognin and Sergent
Tarmon conducted the ceremony to bless the stone, using one of the nearby river
stones as an altar and their own hope as blessing candles.
“It’s the best we can do without leaving
our post. Without the true ceremony,
there is no telling how well the ritual will work, but....”
“It will work. Bahralt is a crafts man. He knows what it means to improvise and will
have seen our need as clearly as if we were praying in the Sanctum itself.”
Without another word Sergeant Ognin handed
her the stone. She made her way to the
Faering Woods ponds and focused her thoughts through the stones energy and onto
one of the dark idols.
Within seconds an ogre came barreling out
of the deep woods to investigate the disturbance. Gwenllian seized her chance as he was
distracted by the idol and worked up her most potent life energy spell. The powerful life energy, coupled with the
goodness and clearness of mind used to create it, made short work of the dark,
death energy that animated the ogre. He
fell to the ground in the pond with a large splash.
Again and again Gwenllian repeated the
ritual at different areas of darkness in the ponds until she was too exhausted to
continue. Hoping she had done enough,
she made her way back to the Runegaurd outpost.
“It sounds like we were right to send you
when we did. If purging the corruption
in Faering Woods released a being from the Plane of Death, Bahralt knows what
would have happened if those pools had been left to fester. The Runeguard is proud to call you an ally.”
Gwenllian nodded with exhaustion at the
praise.
“You need to return to Hammerlord
Post. I’m sure they are wondering about
your lengthy absence.” said Sergeant Tarmon.
“I’m sure we can keep things in the woods cleaned up from here. A few brownies to scatter are much more manageable.”
Gwenllian walked back to Hammerlord
Post. As she left the woods she was
surprised to see how dim the light the day had become. While she was in the woods it had felt like
the dead of night. Now she realised it
may not have been simply the work of the death energy for, although she had
entered the wood at mid-day, it was now early dawn.
She arrived at Hammerlord Post and insisted
on sitting to relay her story, her weary legs no longer able to support her
weight.
“The Abyssal have taken the Messenger?” Thomas Penthas exclaimed. “This is most distressing news! We need to act fast.” He then looked at her and must have realized
her need for sleep.
“Gwenllian, our new direction has just
become quite clear. We need to find out
where the Messenger of Bahralt has been taken.”
“I agree, but might I sleep for a few hours
first?”
She did not wait for an answer, and instead
fell asleep right at his feet. To his
credit he did not wake her. When she
awoke a few hours later, the midmorning sun was higher in the sky and she felt
slightly refreshed.
“Are you ready to continue your journey?” Thomas Penthas asked with a little sharpness
in his voice. “Perhaps the relics of
Bahralt in Molinar Crossing will give a sign as to the Messenger’s whereabouts.”
“Where can I find the relics?”
Holden came to the group and put his arm
around Gwenllian’s shoulder. “You remember
Molinar Crossing.” He said to her,
attempting to jog her memory.
“I remember it as a bustling town that
provided travelers and merchants a place to stay outside Hammerknell’s gates.” She said, remembering back fondly the memory
of traveling with her parents to sell their elixirs at the feast day festivals. “I remember hearing the large bell ringing at
the closing of the gates at night.
Sometimes I could even hear it all the way from Three Springs, if the
night was silent. I haven't been there
since my return to Moonshade.”
“After the Ward fractured, a newly
shadetouched Gorvaht assaulted the gates of Hammernell, but the Runeguard
sealed them.” Holden said with pride. “Enraged,
Gorvaht destroyed the town. It will not
be as you remember it, Linny, but try to remember it was it was. Where
in Molinar Crossing would you have gone to pray?” Holden asked.
“I guess I would start at the altars?”
Gwenllian said, more asking that suggesting.
Holden nodded. “And Linny, while you are there, if you could
strike the bell. Perhaps that bell could
bring the sprits peace.”
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