3. The Old Elven Camp

The Old Elven Camp


  • _Eluriel seeks out The Shesae, and her friends. She asks whether any know of the presence of Sehanine's clergy in the region, and speaks of her reason for wishing to find at least one.

    It may come to pass that no Starsinger can be found and instead the faithful of Lathander be asked to free the chained elves. For this reason, along with Raryldor's recent attitude towards NTelQuess, she expresses concern as to what may transpire should he learn of this. Eluriel at least, does not speak of it within his hearing._

    A Circle had served in the woods since before they were named. Deep in the Rawlinswood they guarded the forest, protecting the balance. Among them was an elder with holes in his heart. He sought not to live in harmony with nature, but to gain dominion over the animals and the forest. The desire for power consumed him.

    Some dark force had told the Elder of a ritual in which he might achieve the power he coveted by sacrificing his brothers and sisters. He cast a spell upon them and with a blade completed his foul act, absorbing the souls of his brethren.

    He quickly aged, his face twisted by the evil in his heart. All about him the plant life began to decay, the animals of the wood becoming shadows of their selves, twisted and corrupted by his power. He cried out in agony, for only then did he realize that the deception was complete. He had the power he sought, but at an unknown cost. His power over the wood was not what he desired. He alone had destroyed all he once had fought to protect.

    One elder escaped his blade. Warned by Mielikki of his deception, the elven druid Oriana ran. She ran to a pool at whose side she cried out for vengeance and asked for guidance. The stone in the centre of the pool produced a crystal, with Mielikki’s message, “This shard will destroy him my daughter. His greed will consume him. Fear not for I will protect you from his decay.”

    So came the first defiler war. He thought the crystal a Foci, and an item of power. Into it he began to pour all of his malice and hatred. Mielikki struck. The Crystal accepted his energies and began to pull at him even harder. The Crystal consumed him, trapping his soul in its form.

    They thought the defiler beaten and Oriana took him in his crystal prison to the stone tower in the elven camp for safeguarding with a smile on her lips.

    But he was not. While his mortal form was gone, his soul was trapped on this plane, tormented by unrest. His anguished cries echoed in the mind of all who entered the woods, crying out for help. The Goblin generals, Ugog and Skara heard this call. As did the bugbears.

    They, like all creatures of ill intent, fell under his sway. They were consumed by a desire to find and free Him from the God Stone. Soon a war erupted between the goblins. In the a the shard was cracked. Slowly, the Defiler began to escape for his prison and his essence permeate the woods once again.

    From inside the crystal he corrupted, and those close to it began to lose their minds.

    Into the midst of the second war walked Oriana - the Defiler. Changed. For in guarding for so long the defiler’s prison she too had come to feel his taint. She more than any other who dwelled in the camp. Oriana had stolen his power and used it for herself. Warped. How far the fall of one once beloved of her god. Both she and the crystal were destroyed.

    Damage done to the planar veil in the second conflict allowed demonic forces to sweep through in the time of the crystal slaves. Great plumes of smoke drifted through the Rawlins south of Norwick. The elven camp lay in ruins. Gate charred black. Every structure burned like a tinder and the air was rancid with burning flesh.

    In the woods anguished warriors guarded over terrified children. A few of the survivors travelled to take shelter behind Peltarch’s strong walls. Rethe and LifeShaper Jadys'variana along with another ten adults went south to dwell in the home of A’leandra and Jas’tlen. Bastion to their children further south still.

    Faithful of goodly powers cleansed the land free from taint. Other elves came to clear the rubble, planting new saplings and tending to the care of the old.

    The taint was thought gone, but gone it was not.

    In time long past lived a powerful earth spirit in the north, called Wendigo. When the People came to Narfell they enlisted him as a guardian. For many centuries, this worked as an ideal arrangement.

    However, with the decline of empires arose one new; the demon worshiping Old Empire of Narfell. While the people strove to avoid dark influence, some succumbed to the point of no return.

    When the Empire fell, the lands of Narfell fell into cold. Wendigo, a deity of plenty and celebration, watched his people starve. In desperation, he pleaded to the Seldarine for succor. But people were People no longer, for in their hearts it was demons they worshiped.

    And so it came to be that Wendigo turned to such a path. He commanded that his followers commit cannibalism. And with this, he gained mastery of the powers of cold. The last paladin of Wendigo stood alone against this command. But her pleas failed to move him. The others fell upon her as ravenous beasts.

    The powers called Myrkul, Jergal and Auril banded together to end the fallen elves. Wendigo they could not slay. In a great glacier temple he slept.

    After the defiler's final defeat fled the surviving hinnak north. Their nature was well suited to Wendigo. Unto new followers he woke. A bond formed between Wendigo and the demons who caused the downfall of his earlier folk. With Orcus' undead swept in he to Narfell.

    And so to the present in which the ancient earth spirit has been put to final rest.

    In the camp remnants of the demon-tainted bugbears are guarded by the shackled spirits of fallen elves. Trapped, that they can gain no entry to Arvandor.

    As the goblinoid forces east and west war with one another let us pass between them to free the spirits of our People.

    ((Sorry if I've got anything wrong. It's history as Eluriel's heard/seen it and that's the best I can do))

    ((Logrus))


  • A certain woodsman drops word about casually to any he overhears speaking of this tale… that the banshees are still in the camp, and seen with his own eyes.

    (Will edit if they were not supposed to be on the map anymore)

  • The Halfling Defence League

    // HOORAY! Warydoor lives! :w00t:


  • Reaper's Curse

    The four components and a book detailing a ritual to remove the Reaper’s curse having been acquired, it was time to perform this ritual. In the old elven camp, of course.

    Nine spirits oversaw this. The pendant of the cursed necklace became backed by a perfect spell crystal. The bugbear hammer became coated by the ichor of a beholder eye. The shard of a woman lost in time spun into a nail. The hammer drove this nail through the amulet, its crystal backing, and into the heart of he who was cursed to become a maddened undead spirit.

    Now he lives.

    Whether the spirits are freed remains unclear.


  • From his sanctuary inside his Lost City Tower, or some sacred cave, the Patriarch directs his tribe to release demons from Jiyyd into all the lands. This possible by means of The Defiler's knowledge found. Talk of sacrifices to see the barrier sundered.

    Ostromog allies with duergar for the supply of arms. Are they ready now to march upon the camp?

    The theft of a Duergar gem said to be of the hells. Alliance against the abyss?

    That which is made from ore mined under the camp bestows The Reaper's Curse, which draws one towards both the camp and chains upon the spirit. A duergar amulet is one such item.

    Rumours speak of a second path to freedom for the spirits of camp from collection of components to break this curse.


  • First among the bugbears who came to follow the Defiler was one known now as Patriarch.

    First again was he when the taint came to lead his tribe into mixing their blood with demons. Thoon Half-Balor came from this tribe, and his daughter Risha. The Patriarch himself fathered a child on an elf of the camp, who grew to be called archmage.

    The demon taint lies now in the old elven camp alone. King Ostromog of the Eastern goblinoids means to cleanse it, and plans to this end.

    Cleansing the camp requires the death of the Patriarch, for it is he who holds chained the elves' spirits. But the power of the demon prince of undead lies behind he who was third of Wendigo's lieutenants.

    But allowing its occupation by bugbears? That is no true cleansing. And there is naught to indicate that Ostromog would not simply take up the chains himself. Others must strike first.


  • It is worth noting that those active around the old elf camp may (or may not, should he be moving about in the ethereal) find Raryldor stalking about the area.


  • Word floats around that a group of adventurers went to investigate the Elven Camp recently, and were unable to get past the bridge entrance due to the overwhelming assault from Banshees, Bugbear casters, and Bugbear warriors.

    Aye, they were casting Tentacle spells, Firebrands, Stoneskin, and Acid Sheathe…. You'd need a good wiggler and lots of smart folk with bows to get by them, and a hell of a lot of healing.


  • Caelisar lets it be known to those that seek interest that he will do his part to assist in restoring the once great camp. He remembers it for it's talents and family strength.

    He also warns anyone setting foot near the area to be blessed and protected as best they can against fear and other mind spells.


  • ((amazing job! thanks!))