A History of the Defiler by Eluriel Triallanravan

[its_a_fire]

Finding that the following book was not available widely, The Circle of Quercatha Terr have copies made and distributed to other libraries across Narfell.

A History of the Defiler

by Eluriel Triallanravan

Here is all I have heard of the defiler gathered in one place. Much of it I heard from druids of the circle, and it may be well known to you. Recent conversations have led me to believe that perhaps that is not so. Thus I share with you what knowledge I have. Where accounts vary I have blended them as best as I could. I cannot vouch for the truth of these words. Still, it is the most I have to offer those of you to whom the tale is not well known. --Eluriel.

Creation

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 to gain dominion over the animals and the forest, not to live in harmony with nature. The desire for power consumed him. The others of the Circle knew nothing of his desires. He betrayed them and their charge. He led them to a temple near their grove, telling them of a great ritual that would heal the woods, of how they could heal the woods once and for all.

Some dark god 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 all of the members, causing them to fall into a state of a deep trance. All save for one warned by Mielikki of his deception. She was the only one who escaped the Elder's blade that day. She ran for her life, summoning up all of the forest to slow him. Enraged, He stayed and completed his foul act, absorbing the souls of his brethren, and even with her escape, he had gained what he sought. 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.

Oriana ran. She ran to where the Glenn is now. At the pool she prayed for guidance and cried out for vengeance. The stone in the center of the pool produced a crystal. A message from Mielikki, “This shard will destroy him my daughter. His greed will consume him. Fear not for I will protect you from his decay.”

The First War

The Defiler walked the woods, searching for the woman. Great swathes of plant life died at his approach, animals ran from his scent, and those that didn't fell under his corruption. He searched, destroying all in his path, all the while never sensing her. Mielikki had hid her well, and Her touch had hidden the Glenn from his search. The glenn where the Circle of Quercatha Terr grew.

In those days the Defiler was of such strength that the mere act of speaking his true name called his attention and upon occasion led to the death of the one to utter it.

With Grinthar of the Circle and others one rainy day she confronted the demon near to Tindra’s den. And trapped him. The Defiler quickly spun around, sensing her presence. A battle of wills commenced, and he thought he had beaten her. She drew out the Shard, and held it, praying to her lady. The Defiler taunted her, telling her that her god would not help her. Then he saw the crystal.

His greed overcame him as Mielikki had foreseen. He thought the crystal a Foci, something he meant to turn against the Oriana the elven druid. Once again his greed and pride was his undoing. He poured all of his malice and hatred into the object, trying to turn it against her. Then Mielikki struck. The Crystal accepted his energies, and began to pull at him even harder, taking in his soul. Only in that moment did he realize the mistake he had made. The Crystal consumed him, trapping his soul in its form. His body fell to the earth and decayed in front of their eyes, quickly turning to dust.

The Crystal

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.

Beaten 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. They nearly succeeded, and if not for the interdiction of their own infighting, they would have. Soon a war erupted between the goblins. In the war the shard was cracked. Slowly, the Defiler began to escape - his essence permeating the woods once again.

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

Building

His power grew.

Undead summoned by goblins and bugbears using ancient twisted druidic runs and symbols in caves along with sacrifices.
Half-goblin scouts bred forcibly with captured hin.
Merciless, unnatural storms raging through the Rawlins.
Shadow druids attempting to defile the glen.

Artifacts of power were recovered for the dark druid. A dagger, armour and helm.

From the warrens swarmed bugbears to near level all Norwick. There was no warning, no time to prepare, only time to scream the cries of death. The attacked from every direction causing untold chaos and confusion in the town. They slaughtered everyone and everything that did not take shelter behind a barred door. The bugbears eventually tired walking around town after finding nothing else to kill and returned to their warrens. What they left was awful beyond description. To this day a ranger Remembers to watch for assassins slaughtering gate guards even while in peaceful play with fey.

God Stone

Noril, a Wolf in captivity, heard of a god stone. It would be cut out of whichever person housed it and return the bugbears’ leader to them. The crystal perhaps? His soul linked to it, final defeat of the twisted druid only with its destruction that his soul have no place to hide. Whether truth or superstition, their stone they found.

Knights of the Order of the Divine Shield escorted visiting Ilmaterians who wished to visit a site south of Norwick. Bugbear attack blocked their passage. In the confusion of battle a girl was taken. Her Lord granted vision of her in a cave to the Tyran priest Vino. Alas, twas to the wrong cave her rescuers first went. Skara’s Old lair they entered in time to see the completion of the ritual sacrifice. Natanya’s heart cut out on a black altar bugbears believed had freed their dark lord.

The Second War

The Grove

The Speaker’s plan. Two places of power concurrently cleansed that the defiler’s power be crippled.

Amissa and Uthger made the way to the temple to destroy it from within, and themselves.

To the old circle 6 druids and 6 rangers favoured by their gods to bless the land with pure untainted elements, and some friends. Fire, water, wind and earth.

Andu’mien, Malika, Davin, Amerien, Green, Meram, Fadia and Naiya.
Tala, Arandor, Eluriel, Ohtar’a, Cervio, Karion, and Meril in the circle.

As the druids and friends of the woods stood circling the stone in the old grove, scores of defenders shriveled down to only a handful, as some made haste to guard the portals in Ugog's and Skara's caves. Portals through which the defiler could not be allowed to escape.

The chain of castings nearing completion, bugbears began filing out of the warrens and the camp to the north, but none of the circle of casters broke their concentration, as the defenders fought bravely around them.

Once the ritual was complete, the group spread out, to guard the newly made and blessed circle. Bugbears flung themselves from all around, but were met quickly with a hail of arrows, blades, and magic. For nearly an entire day, the battles raged on, the group keeping close to the circle and fending off attacks from all sides.

As the forces of the bugbears were slowly whittled down, in the distance, a womanly figure was seen, and after disappearing for a few hours, was seen again closer. The figure was distinctly elvish, and had about her many magical aura's. The arcanist was immediately recognized as Oriana. For in guarding for so long the defiler’s prison she too had come to feel his taint. She more than any other; she had become host for the defiler to work his ills through. As dispelling was set about her, she cast upon the group some fireballs before fleeing.

Torn, the group stayed behind to guard the circle, and ensure that the temple would be destroyed, and before long, a great rumbling came over the western woods, and shouts of triumph filled the air, as smoke began to billow from the temple in the distance.

Many prayers were offered to Uthger and Amissa, who had bravely sacrificed their own lives to destroy the temple, and the group made haste away from the shockwave, and to the elven camp.

As the group sat catching their breath, and mending their wounds, from the west walked a figure still partially on fire. The flaming orange and gold armor shone as the flickering flames fell off of her armor as she approached, as if she were emerging from the flames themselves. Amissa had survived the blast. Not far behind her, walking in his normal calm, nonchalant, yet purposeful manner, was Uthger, his axe stained with blood.

Cries from the crowd went up, and happy words were exchanged at the victory, though Oriana, and the defiler with her, had gotten away. Plans were thrown about as to how to finish the job, and find Oriana. Victory for many was bittersweet.

The Warrens

And so to the warrens to end it travelled a small and brave group. Sam and Kull pushed a wagon laden with explosives to clear the entrance of the Blackguards there waiting before entering with Malachai, Raryldor, Talgrath, Rando and Malika. Bugbears and war machines met them in strength.

Uther and Ohtar took word back to town. Plans and numbers grew. Andu, Davin, Green, Elvin, Ohtar, Tala, Arandor, Darry, Eluriel, Meril, Uthger, Merin Wyvernspell, Chaelvin, Mirkali, Amith, Theon, Scutum, Robyn, Anna, Amith, treacherous Faera, and more.

In an uneasy mass they headed to the warrens and into the empty main hall where bodies of their friends littered the ground. A great bear appeared. The Speaker thought to keep it safe and secured it behind a door.

The brave and noble advanced. Uthger, Scutum, Ohtar, Davin, Robyn, Chaelvin, and Anda. Reaching the door that lead into the second main chamber, Ohtar scouted ahead, and quickly scurried back, reporting a war machine coming behind him. Chaelvin readied his spell, and after all the preparation, the machine managed to avoid the sticky webs, though archers kept him running in such circles that it collapsed before causing grevious injury. Then Oriana with fireballs, war machines, and more bodies cold upon the floor.

In the first chamber defenders did their utmost to prevent additional bugbear attacks on the brave and noble. Meril commanded the archers and to his leadership they owe their lives.

To them dragged Uthger a beaten and bloody Oriana by the hair.

The fallen were needed. Not for them a peaceful return in pleasant surroundings.

Andu took the crystal and heard what Oriana had to say. As the crystal had been removed from her, she seemed free of the defiler's taint and she advised that holy water would dissolve the crystal that th edefiler's true form be faced and destroyed. Mielikki's follower of pure heart as she had been.

Then made Anna a pool of water quite holy, into which dropped Andu the crystal. After much nervous waiting the cavern started to rumble, and the crystal began to deteriorate. From the crystal stepped strange creatures enraged. A deformed skeletal devourer then a giant grey render.

The room went cold, as if all the warmth from every body was sucked from them. Finally there he was, the defiler himself. He cursed them for destroying his temple. To the druids he turned. Before the defiler was struck down were the druids.

By the holy pool Uthger guarded his prisoner. He lunged and from her throat ran her life blood. Executred, Oriana, founder of the circle and unwitting tool of the defiler.

No.

In the fugue she had visited the fallen, smug and bargaining with their spirits. The defiler had not escaped his crystal. Oriana had stolen his power and used it for herself. Warped. How far the fall of one once so beloved by her god.

Aftermath

The crystal disolved and the defiler destroyed and so too the woman who would have taken his power.

The woods healed. Goblin numbers dwindled and dire animals became normal. The taint faded.

Some began to speak the defiler's name. Acwel.

Well may it be that much of what I share here is incorrect. By one account Oriana captured the defiler alone and died a tenday afterwards from injuries sustained in the battle. Others speak of the hiding place of the crystal having changed over time. Another tells that the crystal was found one day by the orcish skald Piggu.

Such is history.