Duty Session 151: The Vanishing Forest
A strange location seems to open up only once a year during the Living Green Festival. No one seems certain if it is a result of the abundance of plant growth that creates the strange forest within the Eastal Free League, or if the location actually moves, shifting somewhere unreachable during the rest of the year.
The Hunters Guild has asked for brave adventurers who would be willing to explore and report back what they find within the Vanishing Forest. They are bidding Adventurers to try to gather anything unusual that they might find so it can be studied.
OOC: This dungeon is only available during The Living Green Festival. This dungeon is exploration-based and focuses on the 'Gather' and 'Discover' concepts with only minor 'Combat'.
Difficulty: Easy
Rec. Party: 3+
Rewards: 1
World Rewards: None
Shadow of Fort Ouph
The Baroness clearly dislikes vultures. But that's not what this meeting is about. She's here to explore this new event, and though she's up to her neck in work, there's a hope that this might prove useful. And a break might give her time to work out some new strategies to deal with undead, orcs, and troubling demands from dukes. Or at least let her hit something!
She's waiting for the team to gather here. For the moment, at least, things are quiet. Well, other than her shouting at the bird. A moment of peace. Peace never seems to last. At least mostly because Wake finds it horribly boring.
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Don't mind her, she's just here to be Wake's 'favorite nightmare' and help her complete the duty she couldn't participate in earlier because she was off doing diplomatic aspiring noble things.
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"Do we know anything at all about this quest? Or just that it only comes around at this time of year?"
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The necromancer had signed up once again to go out into the forest of Eastal, even though the forest hasn't been the most receptive to Setsuna walking through it. Perhaps it was because Setsuna wasn't a woodsman, or because it wasn't his homeland. Whatever the reason the forests of Eastal seem to be out to get Setsuna so he was here to get it first.
Approaching the gathering spot, Setsuna takes a sip from a small bottle, anyone with a good nose would notice it is some form of herbal mixture. As he swallows it and places the bottle back in his inventory, hearing the question of what to expect, the man invites himself to the conversation, "If it is anything to do with this event. Evil plants." On a closer glance someone maybe able to see fading purple spots on the human's skin.
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Shadow of Fort Ouph
"While it is true we all have our role, Kauchemar, there are some I do not appreciate as much as others," Wake replies. She directs a warm smile at her favorite nightmare and punctuates it with a laugh. "But I shouldn't blame the poor vulture for not being as welcome a sight as my favorite nightmare." For now, at least, she can push all her other concerns into the back of her mind. It's not exactly resting, but it is better than the full-on rumination that she had been doing.
"I don't know much about this one, but Kauchemar and Merek have done it," says Wake.
Remembering herself, Wake dips into a polite curtsey, graceful as ever, even though today The Right Clothes have proven to be a form-fitting body suit. It's an interesting thing, how something can fit so well but still have a modest cut.
"My apologies. I'm Baroness Wake. I appreciate you all joining me on this little journey!" With the journey mentioned, she is happy to lead the way on down the road.
The road continues comfortably for a time, but then comes to an abrupt ending in a bog. Numerous pools of dark water go off to both to the left andto the right as far as can be seen. The murky, still waters are dotted with bits of solid land and areas that experienced adventurers can tell are likely far from as solid as they first appear.
"There's nothing to it but to find a way across," says Wake. "We're going to have to get our hands a bit dirty, I'm afraid."
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After the first few steps, she pauses, producing a set of goggles from her inventory to slide them over her eyes, apparently using them to better select her path.
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As they come to the bog Setsuna looks out across it and frowns a little not being able to see a way across. " This part ends up wet and dirty if you take the wrong path." He places this staff into the muddy water and begins to chant to himself, " Spirits that reside lead me down a dry path. " Sadly spirits can be devious little brats sometimes and it is to late when Setsuna ends up slipping into the water. He looks unhappy, "Will fight undead any day compared to this." He pushes himself through the bog to a solid path and climbs up and would repeat the shortest path approach the entire way if no one else provides a better path for him.
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He quite literally parts the bog, and takes note of each of the spots where the stones and pathways are still solid. After a few moments the water flows back into place, and he rather casually walks over the path he revealed, sheathing his blade as he does so.
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Seeing that Setsuna has been led astray by deviant spirits, she pauses to hellp steady him. "There will certainly be no shortage of those battles to come. There's some irony to this, though. Every time I go to an undead stronghold it's engulfed in a swamp or bog or something even more awful." She shoots a look over at Merek, appreciating his work, which has to be the easiest way through the challenge. Why, he probably doesn't have a spot of mud on his boots!
The sudden noise of water being blasted aside draws Wake's attention swiftly and her hand goes to a blade. There's something quite awe-inspiring about Kaydon's approach. Playfully, Wake calls out, "Hey Moses! Next time mind the splashing! I'd rather wash this mud off with clean water!" Mud or not, everyone has managed to get across.
With the bog behind them, the party enjoys solid ground. At least for a moment. In short order the press of forest in all directions becomes nearly suffocating, liable to inspire a sense of foreboding-if not dread-in those present. It is a few moments later that the nature of this forest becomes clear. It's a maze.
"And no sign of bread crumbs anywhere," murmurs Wake.
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Humming a happy little tune, she strides confidently off into the forest. "This way, everyone," she says as she catches up with Merek. "If we get separated, just remember the Left Hand Rule -- always follow the left side of the path and you'll get somewehre eventually."
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Setsuna sighs as he is helped out of the bog by Wake, "Thanks." At least the next part was a little easier, "The forest maze awaits us." He comments as he approaches the maze of trees and sits in the dirt for a moment as he wipes what mud off himself as he can before standing up. Once again Setsuna looks to the spirits that can aid him, " Spirit of the lost, show us the way you could never find." A little spirit ball begins to float along, visible to those who may need to follow it. Setsuna himself does so. " So anyone know any hiking songs?"
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Again Kauchemar thrusts an arm and points, this time in a flashy dramatic fashion. "I don't feel like wasting time on this gimmicky path this time, so.... steamroll it!" The golem armadillo curls into a stone ball and propels itself forward by creating a tremor behind it, rolling through the forest to knock aside any overgrowth and obstacles that get in its way.
Kauchemar dusts off her hands, and follows at a leisurely pace, occasionally waving a hand to instruct the golemdillo to turn and knock something else out of the way.
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He looks down one of the paths, takes a step back, and then stomps the ground...And gets nothing. He tries it again, and still nothing, "I swear that's worked before.."
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Wake attempts to contribute, reaching out with earth magic to guide her. Her eyes slip shut and she takes a few hesitant steps forward, her hand outstretched. When her earth sense leads her nearly face-first into a tree, she steps back, observing, "I have been blessed with companions. I fear once more I must rely on all of you utterly."
Merek's work takes the group through the first few turns. Miyako's suggestion proves helpful, as does her considerable skill in creating a mental map of the twists and turns of the tree path.
Quietly, Setsuna's guide navigates the turns smoothly, taking a route that while not a straight line, does not falter. Kaydon and Wake both have to rely completely on the others, or they'd soon have been quite lost. In fact, Wake manages to fall behind by a couple turns as she loses her train of thought. It's at this point that Kauchemar's golem adds its particularly direct and kinetic efforts to breaking through the maze. By breaking the maze itself. Trees and brush shudder, groan, and shatter in bursts of leaf-dust as the path is straightened considerably.
Freed of the maze, Wake lets out a grateful sigh. "If I fail to say this from time to time, I apologize. But I'm most grateful to have friends along on these quests. Not just because you are all amazingly talented, but.. well, having friends is just better than going it alone." Says the woman who built a legendary retputation in the past on solo work. That habit has died.
As the group proceeds, the forest looks, well, weirder and wierder. "I feel like I've walked into an old movie," the Baroness murmurs. She prods a branch with the tip of her blade and the leaves on it crumble into dust so fine it doesn't seem to even reach the earth. "Make that a horror movie."
It is not much farther along that the party comes upon a building of rough stone. Though its dome still looks reasonably sound, its only door is hanging feebly from its ruined hinges.
The interior has been utterly overwhelmed by vines that give the impression of strangling the building from the inside. Scattered amongst these vines are a variety of odd objects, some of which are clearly locked containers. There's a vague sense of dark purpose, but it's not clear from which object it comes. It is clear that something must be done, lest the party be stricken.
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Having a little forehand knowledge from her previous experience does pay off. Kauchemar reachs into the barrow, and after a bit of rummaging pulls out one of various objects, her own eyes flickering ominously. "I know curses, and this is definately cursed." She tosses it over her shoulder.
Into the mounth of her earthly summon, who chomps down on it with the force of a cave-in to shatter whatever it was. "Here's another one." Same as before. Almost like she was rewarding it for a good job with the maze by giving it treats to chew apart.
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While the others deal with the issue, she keeps watch by the door, guarding against any wandering creatures that might interrupt. A minute or so into things, she starts singing softly to pass the time.
./~ They passed an ordinance in the town, they said we'd have to tear it down
./~ That little ol' shack out back so dear to me
./~ Tho' the health-department said its days are over and dead
./~ It'll live forever in my memory
./~ Don't let them tear that little brown building down
./~ Don't let them tear that precious building down
./~ Don't let them tear that little brown building down
./~'Cause there's none other like it in the county or the town
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Setsuna slips into the building and looks around , "These people really needed to invest in weed killer." He looks his around through the artifacts and his enchanting senses tingle as he is drawn to one of the objects, a small crystal tree. His eyes take on a blue glow of magic as he looks at the artifact in detail before breaking the tree off its stands and the aura disipates. "Broke another."
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He soon finds he has to step back outside briefly to catch his breath, feeling overwhelmed.
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The Baroness is grateful to get insider knowledge from those who have done this before. Which, upon reflection, is a novel feeling. In the past, she always had to be first, or to do something in a way that everyone else thought was impossible or pointlessly difficult. "Kauchemar, don't look now, but I think you are all making me even more of a grown up. I'll be chasing kids off my lawn any day now."
With Kaydon's song in the back of her head, Wake focuses on the locks. She loves locks. "I do enjoy it so very much when they think of the thieves. Allowing me to ply my trade is so kind!" Though frankly, the lock springs open so swiftly in her hands that it appears almost too easy. "Just like old times.. but not even so much as a poison needle in the mechanism? No curse falling upon me when I open it?" She looks around, "Odd. No midboss to attack me, either."
Merek, Setsuna, and Kauchemar all seem to take a similar approach to finding the objects in question. That they all succeed is a good thing, as the impact is sensed immediately by the party. It's as if a weight that had been threatening to choke them is suddenly withdrawn.
Having survived that test, the group proceeds ooonnnnnward! And in the onward direction are more plants. Weird plants that don't do what sensible plants ought to. Like standing still and not trying to squeeze passersby to death.
"And Tae wonders why I am not a more enthusiastic gardener," mutters Wake. "Maybe she'd be less excited about flowers and herbs if she knew more of these varieties that end up trying to kill us!"
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The tale of the infamous pub's destruction finished, she moves on with the rest to have a look, nodding. "Shouldn't be too bad," she agrees with Merek. "I'll take care of the grabby ones, you grab the ones we want, hey?"
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Setsuna looks at Wake as they approach the plants and poses the question, "How abut a horde of plants that want to strangle the life out of you? Is that midbossy enough?" He does hear Merek declare a way in , but Setsuna was really tired of the plants that this festival brought with it. " I curse that which grows, I bind your movement and drain the essence with which you thrive." The human touches the ground and the shadows move , moving into a large batch of the grabby plant and someone may notice thorn like shadows wrapping around the plant till the plant begins to wither. He then turns and moves along Merek's path. "Thank you for finding the path."
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Once again with the weird various plant forms, and the vicious aggressive vines. Last time Kauchemar just chopped her way through with her Binder Sword because she was feeling annoyed. This time, she's a bit more playful, as she instead draws her instrument and starts to play something that is both ominous and somewhat upbeat, like it was trying to be spooky and funny at the same time. As she does so a portion of the ground cracks open and plant matter surges out of it, winding into the shape of various thorny dark vines lashing and roots digging into ground, and large petals with sharp teeth-like barbs on them. Vines wrap into vines, pulling them away from the party and attempting to uproot them. Which is about when Kauchemar actually starts to sing along with her musical number.
"o/~ You know I don't come from no Black Lagoon; I'm from past the stars and beyond the moon~
You can keep the Thing! Keep the It! Keep the Creature; they don't mean shit! o/~"
An additional surge of dark energy from the musical accompaniment causes the summoned botanical to swell with strength, ripping apart vines and upheaving the ground with it's dark gnarled roots to make an actual path past while holding bunches of the thrashing attack brambles at bay.
"o/~ I've got killer blooms, a power stem, nasty thorns and I'm usin' them!
You better move on out, Nature Calls, you get my point? I'm gonna bust your boughs! o/~"
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Hell he doesn't even technically have any magic, it's mostly just him flailing than anything else.
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While Wake has no affinity for plants, she does know her way around dark magic. A life in shadows has clearly affected her. She uses tendrils of shadows to blast away at the marauding plants, relying frequently on Merek's guidance to direct her efforts on the best targets.
While this coordination is going on, Miyako's dark magic is put to a most effective use, instructing the less refined plants on the fine points of manners. Those that manage to survive the experience might even learn something about personal space. Well, assuming they aren't in Setsuna's attack. The afflicted plants let out a rather unpleasant keening sound. Perhaps they have a means to produce it, or perhaps it's just the way they uselessly beat at the air as they are torned apart that causes it. Regardless, there's a considerable cleaning forged.
And then suddenly things grow even worse for the hapless enemy. Plants again fight plants, and the threatening enemy is served a heavy dose of its own medicine. Kauchemar's summoning looks like the long lost offspring of Groot and the Incredible Hulk. Wake is curious just what it is called, but is too busy admiring its very direct approach to its work to ask. It's lucky that Merek was able to identify something to /not/ destroy, or there might not be anything left in a fifteen pace radius!
"Okay, so I'm beginning to appreciate that plants aren't /all/ bad," the Baronesss concedes to Kauchemar and Setsuna. "I think I like it best when they are committing..." wait for it... "herbicide."
That remarkably awful joke aside, things are going really well. At least, once Wake helps free Kaydon from the vines of recently slain plant. The party has gotten past every challenge and nobody is dead! Certainly they've left a swatch of destruction in their path, but the shortest distance between two points is always a straight line littered with defeated enemies.
The Baroness leads the way, amused by the music and rather enjoying a moment of utter disregard for her own safety. She barely takes note of all the broken branches. "I guess we aren't the only ones who have a trouble with natural beauty," she points out. And then there's a tremble in the ground. "The party is just getting started.."
And there it is!
The ogre is, well, an ogre. Big, stupid, and angry. It has a huge axe, a formidible odor, and the social skills of a teenager playing a first person shooter.
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./~ Once a jolly Cleric, and a magic-using Elf
./~ And a mighty Dwarf with a Sword Plus Three
./~ Left their native village, out to get their share of pelf
./~ You bash the Balrog - while I climb a tree.
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A bit more wandering brings the group to the final section in the center of the forest, with the giant wannabe lumberjack. "Paul Bunyan really let himself go. But at least it ain't Babe." A joke that no one but the players from America are likely to get.
But this is when Kauchemar decides to show that she's more than flash and flare (and because someone else is handling the musical accompaniment), as she 'draws' her haunted sword and shield. She stomps a hoof to the ground, causing sparks to crackle through the air. Then the Nightmare takes off with such speed that there's a dull peal of thunder in her wake from the air shifting to fill the sudden vacant space.
A speed she uses to quite literally dance around the ogre's powerful but ponderous swings, and giving her dancing weapons a chance to jab or smack him from time to time. Though she's really a diversion, maneuvering him into a vulnerable position for the more offense oriented members to open their shaken cans of whoop-ass on him.
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Setsuna looks at the Ogre as he taps his staff on the ground , " I call upon the shadows and spirit of nature. I offer you this chance at your reveng " His magic highlights the tree's shadow as the shadow of the tree gains life and a 3rd dimension as it steps away from the tree and challenges the Ogre head on. Striking out with its branches of shadows before returning to it's natural state. As he smiles to himself he watches the nightmare and others jump into action. With this many people, he already knows what is the fate of the ogre.
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A challenge that Kaydon can specialize in. He pulls his blade off of his back, knowing he'll be able to put his custom sword to a real test now. By wielding the blade, which is far lighter than it looks, he lashes out towards the massive ogre.
He's been training for weeks for a fight just like this, and he wields the blade with expert precision. The sword is capable of cutting through solid steel, and if he meets the ogre's axe weapon to weapon, he'll be able to see if that strength can really hold up.
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Well, they've come to the last challenge. And thankfully, it's sommething that everyone can freely strike without a bit of remorse! And the party does indeed bat the ogre around quite well.
The hulking creature gets a few good swings in, but swiftly falls under a pretty withering assault, and it can't seem to even land a single blow on Kauchemar, which further enrages it and makes it even less accurate. It's evident that the previous challenge was just a warm up for everyone, leaving the hapless ogre to bear the brunt of what follows.
Having held back her power for most of the adventure, Wake sees no reason not to unleash everything she has on the boss. And so she simply vanishes. But her voice does not.
"Hey stupid!" she shouts from behind the ogre. Then a moment later to his left, "Are you blind and dumb?" From directly below, "Down here, you sluggard!" And from down there, Wake's blades come out in earnest. First a back-handed slash severing calf muscle as if it were no more solid than water, followed up with a sudden series of climbing stabs, guiding the Baroness up the enemy's back, where she kicks off from the ogre's shoulder in a perfect backflip, tearing a deep whole in the beast as she soars away, alighting on a nearby tree.
The outraged monster has no time to carry out vengeance. He's overwhelmed, and Merek draws its attention downard. There's simply too much big ogre anger for a little ogre brain to guide, and its next swing proves completedly ineffective, burying itself near Merek, but doing little but stir up some dirt. And its HP bar drains at alarming speed.
Setsuna's magic matches the ogre against something of equal size, and the shadowy ghost of a tree bludeons and rends the monster. The ogre aims a terrible swing at the shadows, but learns that shadows don't cut easily. It has little life left.
It has one thing, though, and that's anger. Kaydon's charge causes the hulking beast to once more change its targets. There's just too many adventurers, and it can't seem to hit anything. A swing of power comes at Kaydon, and for once it seems that the ogre will find its target. But Kaydon's blade is able to not only meet the axe, but shatters the crude weapon, leaving behind a club.
At this point, the ogre is somehow so angry that it's even less coherent than usual. It raises its weapon with both hands, looking around with its beady eyes, blinking stupidly as it tries to select a target. That's when Miyako's song is heard. With all its might it prepares to swing it's weapon down. To hit /something/. Just as it starts to unleash this swing, it pauses, full extension, and there it teeters, precariously balanced for what seems like the longest moment in the history of boss fights. There's a lightest breeze then, and backwards the ogre falls, shattering into pixels in its ruin.
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Otherwise not much else for her to do at the moment, as she already has the prize from her previous visit.
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Setsuna sits on a flat stone as he looks over at the Ogre and then at the tree. " You ever wonder if in this situation, maybe the tree was the evil one and we just killed a fellow hero." Maybe it was the adrenaline, maybe it was just the herbal tonic he had to take every now and then, or it could just be that to be a scale member there is a small insanity requirement. EIther way apparently Setsuna was feeling philisophical while others gather their reward.
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The Baroness accepts the quest award, looking it over. "Well, this might prove useful in the near future." Granted, what it is clearly best for are things she's.. less than great at.. but perhaps that just makes it more useful.
"That was fun. Thank you all for helping me along! I will try to be more diligent about scheduling these quests earlier in the future." The Baroness sighs softly as she feels all of her concerns drift forward in her mind.
"I'd best get moving again. I'm far from where I am needed. There's an undead army to be dealt with, and I'm due some progress reports." Wake's tone is calm, almost relaxed.
"As for the philosophy of monster-management, I have a pretty simple approach. If it charges me with weapon drawn, I consider all tactics to be available. The game world does a good job erasing much of the moral ambiguity involved in real battle." The Baroness offers a hand to Setsuna, "Still, I appreciate that you pause to consider these things. It is healthy to question our motives from time to time."
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"Are the undead really being that much of a problem? I've only had one run-in with them so far, they were... mm. Fell over pretty easily."
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Baroness Wake laughs and protests, "But I rather liked the song! And you can hardly blame yourself for it taking him some time to get angry. Ogre's hardly know any words longer than four letters."
As for the other matter, Wake explains, "The undead have a queen, generals, and an army." "They are dangerous enough to draw the alliances together to deal with the threat. I'm surprised no one in your alliance has mentioned this to you. It was Giganpor who called the meeting." And skillfully evaded all further leadership responsibility. Not that Wake mentions that part.
"If you are able to help, we could certainly use it, and there's a spot for every talent, whether it be in lore, fighting, or spying on the enemy." Of course Wake is going to try to recruit help.
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"People got a little upset once they heard the undead army could twist and turn adventurers into undead barbarians that see us as the foe." Setsuna ask as he takes Wakes offer of help up and looks at the Baroness. " Just making sure that we were in agreement with who the villians was." He silences as Wake recaps a bit more and just nods along as it is all explained. " So then I think we are done here and as the Lady has said, it is a long way back to Ninetails."
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