Adventure #1 – A New Dawn (Midwinter/Spring)

[reefwood]

A New Dawn
(Midwinter into Spring)

The four youngest Caretakers of the Valley gathered at midnight. Where the eastern edge of the Marsh ran along the southern border of the Forest. Trees on both sides still bare from the Winter. During which Oak the Elk, Caretaker of the Forest, had passed. As the youngest among them, Centipede, Caretaker of the Marsh, was tasked with selecting the next woodland creature to be awakened by Sprig, Patron of the Forest, on the Vernal Equinox at dawn. The furry and chitinous quartet ventured north in search of a giant skunk.

Wolf, Caretaker of the Grassland, and his packmates led the way. Hours of sniffing through the darkness eventually uncovered weeks old skunk droppings. The trail continued further north.

As first light touched the sky, Gorilla, Caretaker of the Jungle, heard a weak, high pitched growl to the east. He knuckle-walked over to investigate and found a bear cub laying limp in the snow. Pained. Exhausted. Patches of fur singed off from acid, which was known to pool in the Caverns but not so much elsewhere. If it did bubble to the surface, it was usually in more porous regions, such as the Marsh or Peaks.

Gorilla picked up the bear cub, and Wolf followed its trail – winding and haphazard – toward the conifer covered hills of the eastern Forest. The morning passed as one would expect. Hints of wildlife still sleepy from the Winter while a dusting of snow sprinkled the ground. Centipede noticed a small patch of naked evergreens in the distance, and Wolf followed the trail easily enough as it wound up into the rising firs and pines.

The first real sign of corruption was reached at midday. Gorilla heard a rustling in the bushes ahead. Not the bush itself but a giant carnivorous plant that consisted of a large central pod, lashing tentacle vines, and writhing roots. Centipede, Spider, and Wolf dashed into action to tear it apart while Gorilla kept the bear cub safe. Acid burned those who bit into it, and Wolf was nearly consumed by the monstrosity, but in the end, the Caretakers felled the plant. While Wolf was held over its gaping maw, he saw inside it a bear with nearly all its fur singed off. Assuming this bear to be the mother of the cub and to be dead, they left the cub to fend for itself and resumed their search for a giant skunk.

Upon departing the hills, Gorilla heard something stalking them from behind. He turned to see a mountain lion. Or what may have once been a mountain lion. It had no fur. The bare skin was tinged green and looked coarse. Eyes were glazed white and opaque. Most notably a pair of vine-like tentacles sprung from its back. Another battle ensued, and the corrupted beast was vanquished. It had come from the hills. Followed them down most likely. However, finding a new Caretaker to protect the Forest took precedence for the next dawn was less than a day away.

Rather than backtrack west, Wolf veered northwest and succeeded in picking up more recent signs of the giant skunk trail. As dusk fell and darkness filled the air, it became evident that they were following not one, but a pair of giant skunks. Their underground den was discovered a couple hours later, and Wolf called upon his gifts of the Grassland to pinpoint their quarry. He failed to calm the giant skunks, but the others forced them into submission without much harm coming to either side. Spider, Caretaker of the Caverns, cocooned them silk, and they were placed atop Centipede as the group hurried to the heart of the Forest. The giant skunks growled and struggled for a time but eventually succumbed quietly to their bondage.

The young Caretakers arrived just in time as the first sliver of light gleamed above the mountainous horizon. The elder Caretakers were already gathered with the components for the Awakening. An outline appeared in a nearby tree. Roughly humanoid in shape. It became more distinct as the sun continued to rise, and Sprig, Patron of the Forest, stepped from the tree. Centipede presented him with the chosen specimen, and Sprig soothed the disgruntled beast as he effortlessly unwound the sticky silk. Crest the Heron, Caretaker of the Waterways brought forth the components to Awaken the giant skunk, and Sprig commenced the day-long ritual.

Meanwhile, the Caretakers gathered off to the side for a Council. The youths informed the elders of the corruption they encountered and were in turn tasked with hunting down the source while the elders protected the Patron. Crest and Talon the Pteranodon, Caretaker of the Skies, spread their wings to circle the area from above, and Maul the Dire Wolverine, Caretaker of the Peaks, proceeded to patrol the ground perimeter. The others spent the morning and early afternoon resting.

They resumed their search by returning to the corrupted lion and reached it at dusk. Wolf prayed to Stalk, Patron of the Grassland, and his wild blessings were restored. Centipede saw that the patch of needle-less evergreens in the hills had grown, and retracing the lion tracks led the group in that direction. The Forest felt more sinister on this first night of Spring. The quiet grip of Winter not yet released by the ballad of budding life. Darker under these evergreens than the leafless trees laid bare to the stars.

The silence was broken by sounds of scurrying coming from several directions. Wolf blessed his pack to protect them against acid, and then, the corruption was upon them. Rats, mice, squirrels, weasels. Dozens of them. Furless. Glazed eyes. Sickly green skin. Acid oozed from their pores. They swarmed the Caretakers. Centipede gave of himself greatly to quash the threat but was forced to retreat. The wild fire of Wolf finally extinguished the corrupted masses.

[reefwood]

Part 2

Wolf and his pack dashed into the underbrush to hunt down the scattered remnants of the acidic rodents. Meanwhile Centipede, Gorilla, and Spider continued east and uphill through the evergreens toward the patch of dead and dying trees. The rainfall grew in intensity, which washed away much of the snow and turned the dirt to mud. Gorilla was the first to feel a tingling at his feet. From the water – rain and melted snow – streaming down the hillside. It felt acidic. Not enough to be harmful at first but became stronger as they moved closer to the sickly grove.

Spider thought of a cave that was a little out of the way but could take them up the hill underground and place them on higher from the grove. She led them north into a series of tunnels, which were flooded from the rain but not too deep for the large trio. The maze would be difficult for most to maneuver, but she knew her territory well. As expected, they came out on higher ground and turned southwest to approach the sickly grove from the other side. The water no longer tingled as they moved down the hill

Gorilla was the first to spot a faint green glow at the edge of the sickly grove and hear intermittent splashing. Centipede and Spider approached cautiously while he confronted the mystery head on. It turned out to be a translucent, fleshly, round mass, from where the glow emanated, and a plethora of tentacles surrounding it, which writhed wildly upon hearing Gorilla shout at it.

Several tentacles lashed out to pummel Gorilla and douse him in the acid. The beating was too much, and he collapsed into the mud, but luckily, Centipede and Spider worked together to pull him to safety.

* * * * *

Upon finishing off the acidic rodents, Wolf led his pack back up the hill. The tracks of the other Caretakers had been washed away, but he was able to follow their scent. However, he lost it the flooded tunnels and was unable to determine their route. Eventually, he found his way back to the surface, and they continued toward the sickly grove. The water tingling their paws soon burned those not protected from acid.

Wolf heard Gorilla shout just as he caught the glint of a green glow up the hill. Darting forward, and then around, he found the others regrouping at a distance from the fleshy, tentacled, glowing mass. They were about to retreat, but Wolf conjured a ball of flame to scorch the monstrosity, and Centipede uprooted a dead tree to strike at it from beyond the reach of the tentacles. The constant burning and repeated blows soon resulted in the fleshy mass bursting and tentacles falling limp. Acid spewed the area, but the Caretakers were at a safe enough distance to avoid injury.

The monstrosity was dead, but a faint green glimmer was still visible in the pool of acid and muck. Wolf sent one his packmates to fetch it, but the minor protection from acid was not enough. He was overwhelmed and slumped into the muck. Acting quickly, Centipede pulled the wolf out before more harm could come to him and plunged in again to retrieve the source of the glow. The acid burned his face, and the object burned his mouth. It was a green crystal with acid oozing from its cracks. Wolf sensed magic coming from the crystal but could not determine which kind but thought it may have transformed an ordinary ooze into the tentacled mass. Centipede thought it was best to destroy the foul object and shattered it with a tree.

* * * * *

The young Caretakers returned to the center of the Forest as the first light of dawn tinged the night sky. Upon arriving, the sun broke across the horizon and Sprig completed the ritual to awaken Skunk as the newest Caretaker of the Forest. He whispered a few words to Skunk and stepped back into the tree. To remain dormant until the next Spring.

Furthermore, having selected Skunk, Centipede was now charged with mentoring the newest Caretaker. Also, this addition to the ranks of the awakened elevated Wolf into the domain of the elder Caretakers.


[OOC: We are on the 2nd adventure now, but if you wish to retroactively do or say anything in-character at the end of this scene, or ask any questions out-of-character about the 1st adventure, you are welcome to do so.]