Chapter 3. The Forest of Tertravalle
Lohar lit the candle and it gave him a vision of the past.
“A tall dark creature with pale hair and many small creatures both dark and pale, were building an Ark. Four cloaked men watched over them.
The First wore red robes and a black cloak that shimmered with starlight.
The Second wore animals furs of bear and wolf, he wielded fire in one hand and ice in the other.
The Third is hardly there and floated as a wispy ghost wielding a skulled orb in his skeletal fingers.
The Fourth was cloaked in black wielding a bronze staff, he had tentacles wrapped around his body.
“The Ark is soon completed and the four robed men drew a circle of runes, made of starlight, darkness, ice and fire. The ghostly robed figure stepped into the circle and drew a symbol, a symbol of a broken circle with eight jagged swords pointing north and a crown in the centre, it is committed to memory.
“The ghostly figure dissipated and a black sphere appeared in the circle, where the symbol was. From the black sphere was born a demon. It began as a child but grew into a great beast. It had horns shaped as a crown and a serpents tail. It was sickly green and black and mauve. It raged and struggled against its captivity. The three robed men used all of their power to move the black sphere into the Ark, the demon struggled, writhing and clawing against their power. It almost broke them, but they succeeded. The dwarf creatures closed the lid immediately, sealing the demon within the Ark.
“The dwarfs were then carrying the Ark across Azarak, over rivers, across valleys and through forests until they reached a cold glenn with a stream before a mountainside They went deep into the mountain and buried the Ark.
“When the dwarfs left the mountainside, the four robed figures appeared and attacked all of the dwarfs. All of the dwarfs gripped the necklaces they bear around their neck, but it was too late for most. One escaped in a flash.
“The symbol they carried was one of a great hammer, chained, with three rings above it. One blood red ring, one pale gold ring and one crystal white ring.”
This is the vision that Lohar described to the Questers.
They headed into the Forest of Tertravalle, where the elves sought refuge after the Genus Wars. Pereya stated that she is excited to search for her love, the fey creature that made love to her under the dawn light and created Aemaeon with her. Aemaeon stuck close to Pascal the Bard who began to teach him how to disguise himself through sorcery. Pereya walked at the side of Meridius. Yaeldrin walked ahead. Aemaeon offered his magic sword for Meridius to carry in his saddle, for he has no scabbard to sheathe it in.
The Questers journey through Tertravalle was uneventful at first. They glimpsed talking birds, tree cats and wild deer, they followed no path for there was none.
They saw a circle of creatures, dark and clawed, skinny and wasting away, gnawing on bones, with no hair but pointed ears. Rakab sent his familiar in the shape of a raven to spy on them. Through his familiar he heard the creatures speak sylvan and elven, they were speaking of the need to feed, for they were wasting away and had to visit the Shadowlands to remain alive. Rakab racked his brain and remembered these are Shadow-walkers. elves that betrayed their kin in the Genus Wars and were thus cursed to walk in shadow and in Azarak, forever hungry, neither dead nor alive.
The Questers decided it a prudent idea to sneak around the Shadow-walkers, so Lohar led them deeper into Tertravalle.
As they reached a knoll, they saw a clearing which had many stalls and market stands in the middle of the forest. They were intrigued and investigated.
They found it to be The Goblin Market, with two elvish customers and over a dozen goblins sporting trinkets. Rakab supposed that the goblin with a yellow hat whom Pereya had seen many years hence would be there. He assumed correctly, and the chief goblin introduced himself as Rokbin, and was very surprised to see Pereya there. The Questers frantically questioned Rokbin on that day he met Pereya and what the meaning of this market was.
The Goblin Market grew after that fateful day in the woods, Rokbin said that a hooded figure told him to take the path to find prosperity, and so he did. He thought that Pereya was his prosperity, but he left her and sold a magic dagger to a prominent elf and this began the rise of his Goblin Market. The purpose of The Goblin Market is to sell back to the elves old trinkets and artefacts that the goblins find buried or lost in the forest. The elves pay them in trinkets, favours and gold.
The Questers asked Rokbin if they knew the golden elf with a green cloak and golden leaves for armour. He claimed not. Then they wanted to buy something from Rokbin, and Rokbin offered a pair of elvish boots for the Priest of Visio. The boots could be bought with something that they carry, but the Questers didn’t think they had something so valuable (that they were willing to trade) and so the boots were upwards of 850gp and the Questers agree this is too steep. Yaeldrin noticed that the goblins have some sort of power to be able to sense magic artefacts, after Rakab is talking about the spell Locate Object.
Pereya and Rokbin traded stories of that day as Rakab identified the elvish boots, and Rokbin is upset that Pereya did not join him. The elvish boots are indeed Boots of Elvenkind.
Pascal offered the sword hidden in Meridius’ saddle much to the dismay of the rest of the Questers. Meridius tried to cover this up, casting minor illusion and drew a knife from his saddle, claiming it to be a very small sword.
The goblins laughed, and a knowing look passed between Meridius and Rokbin.
The Questers tried to bargain for knowledge of how to reach the Elven Path that Rokbin used, to journey around the forest, but Rokbin proffered that no payment was necessary and he offered the information and directions freely.
They left Rokbin and The Goblin Market in good faith and good spirits and headed down the Elven Path. Rokbin wished them well.
They journeyed for some hours on the Elven Path, taking rests in between, until they chanced upon five fancily dressed High Elves walking along the path. They conversed friendlily and warned the Questers that a riddling white serpent would be waiting on the path ahead. They profess to not knowing where the golden fey is that they seek, but they had heard of him, that he is a spirit of the forest with his own lair, the wood elves know him better.
The Questers went along the path and found the white serpent coiled around a tree. It spoke eloquently, but with a lisp, and moaned of the ways and passages of the woods not being safe anymore. It called itself Wisschling. The Questers asked it if it knew where to find the golden fey that they seek, it told them that it did but they would have to pay in favours for this information.
It wanted either a nest of spiders destroyed or a nest of griffons destroyed, they were both blocking Wisschling’s passage over the treetops. Wisschling told them that the spiders keep some prisoners in their lair and the griffons have an egg that can be sold at The Goblin Market for 1000 gold pieces. The Questers decide to go to the spider’s lair, but Lohar did not trust the snake.
Lohar struck a bargain with Wisschling, he took a scale from Wisschling as the snake whispered into his ear. Lohar promised that if Wisschling left and betrayed them that Rakab would curse the serpent eternally. Rakab spoke some ancient words in many languages of the white serpent’s scale. Wisschling considered it a bargain well struck.
Before they went to battle, Rakab cast a rope trick, a portal, and Pereya and Aemaeon hid within it.
They went off and used Lohar as bait for the spiders, finding clearing and bleeding him for his scent to carry. They plucked on the spider’s webs and the spiders came scuttling along. They fought the spiders in a long battle and defeated them, capturing one.
In the battle Yaeldrin was heavily injured, being bitten in the eye by a giant spider. The poison seeped into his iris and blinded him in that eye. The captured spider spoke stilted elven, with Rakab understanding its language, and the spider took the Questers to its lair. It told them that the prisoners were ransom for the Spider Queen who is at war with the Lady of the Wood (the Wood Elf Queen). Rakab made a solemn promise that he would not kill the spider after they had set free the prisoners.
They rescued the wood elf prisoners and Lohar executed the spider much to the dislike of Pascal, who went off in a huff to get Pereya and Aemaeon.
From the nest they stole four giant spider eggs, a dagger of venom and a box with 50gp, 20sp and 10cp in.
They found Wisschling, who was pleased. He told them that the golden-fey they seek is Väreth the Spring Eladrin, he is a spirit of the wood who has a tree called the Spring Tree where he lives with his three dryad lovers and a black cat with wings.
Wisschling asked for a small favour before departing, to eat one of the spider eggs. Rakab advised and Pascal offered him one egg for free and Wisschling stated that he owes them one small favour, when they wish to have it. He then whispered into Rakab’s ear, and Rakab now knew the path they have to take to find the Spring Tree.
After navigating the woodland they found the Spring Tree, which had blood-pink blossom growing from it. It had a garden tended by three dryads with bark-skin. From the tree emerged Väreth, with his winged cat Mobisi perched on his shoulder.
He welcomed them and greeted his son Aemaeon. Pereya went to Väreth and tried to embrace him, but Väreth only stroked her hair and told her that he remembered their night, but it meant nothing to him. He wished only for the child to be born, for the child born of the Eladrin fertility ritual, that she was part of, would slay the Dark Dwarf King. The Questers ask him if this means that Aemaeon is the Chosen Child. Väreth stated that Aemaeon is not, but it is the task of the Questers to determine who is.
They all sat down for an awkward vegetarian dinner. Rakab and Pascal questioned Väreth, whilst Pereya held back her tears of rejection, pain and disgust. Aemaeon listened to his father but was torn, as he was looking to his mother also. Lohar could not bear the civility, and insulted Väreth, calling him a rapist and a villain, declaring that he shall be no escort for his child, he will not supervise sending him to his doom. Väreth immediately banished him. Meridius then voiced the same sentiments, and was also banished.
Rakab, Pascal and Yaeldrin stayed, asking further questions. Väreth told them that they must find the chosen child if they wish to defeat the King-in-the-Ark. He told them the sword is called Fimlar and is of elvish and dwarfish design, it will glow purple near invisible creatures and strike strong against the dark dwarfs. He also revealed that he was the hooded figure who guided Rokbin and the two-headed giant down the path, the same hooded figure who tied Pereya to the tree, to set up the ritual, that two must be denied before the love was granted.
They asked for help on their quest, and Rakab persuaded Väreth to speak to Pereya, to console her. Väreth agreed halfheartedly, commenting that mortals are strange to love.
Väreth and his dryads gifted Yaeldrin with an Arrow of Dragon Slaying. They gifted Rakab a Lantern of Revealing. They gifted Pascal a Potion of Invulnerability. Väreth gifted Aemaeon his green cloak of protection.
The Questers were about to leave, when Väreth pulled Pereya aside and spoke to her softly, but then proceeded to give her the very rope that he had bound her to the tree with.
She left cold, giving Meridius the magic silver rope, he dropped it to the floor…(Rakab then went and picked it up).
The Questers left on their horses, Aemaeon on the back of Pascal’s horse, and Pereya on the back of Meridius’ horse.
Rakab turned to see the Spring Tree once more, but he could not and the knowledge whispered by Wisschling into his ear had disappeared from his mind…
So ends the third chapter of The Book of Azarak…