The Keys of Telku / Witch War pt. 10 / Von the 10th, 3593 CE / 2-28-21

The Adventurers have been tasked with a reconnaissance mission to Tanlin Marsh by the druids of Greenwood Forest. They hope that by ending the threat of the witches' coven which has declared war on the druids and elves of Greenwood, they will be allowed to complete their journey and pass safely through the forest kingdom on their way to Liem, their base of operations as retainers of Lord Tarrus the One-Eyed. They now stand outside an elven outpost, defending themselves against a pack barrow hounds, monstrous servants of the coven. With the help of the treant, Tetherus, they destroy the creatures, but Tetherus warns them that a sizeable force of the beasts approaches through the trees, one which they will not be able to fend off. Grabbing the cache of magical water which the elves had been harvesting, the party flees into the woods, leaving Tetherus fend off the approaching beasts to buy them time. As the party, lead by the druid Roisyll, hurries through the undergrowth, they are met by their forward scouting party. The elf warrior Florina informs them that they too are fleeing the packs of barrow hounds that have flood the woods around Tanlin Marsh. As make their way south towards Tanlin, Florina advises that she knows of a secret tunnel that they can take into the marsh to avoid the coven's servants. But as the baying of the barrow hounds grows closer, the party sees that the forest is giving way to the blight that the coven has been spreading, until the tree cover is all but gone in the desolation. With the mouth of the tunnel in sight, Florina tasks Blur, as the fastest member of the party, with reporting back to the druids. Blur, true to his namesake, disappears from sight in what feels like the blink of an eye, as Florina urges the rest of the Adventurers forward, even as the cries of the barrow hounds grow ever closer, but suddenly cries out in pain and falls to the ground, as she feels a burning sensation across her entire body. John grabs her and carries her the rest of the way, but when they reach the tunnel he notices something odd; Florina's eyes have changed color, and are now mismatched. Just then the party comes to another horrifying realization. Their elven scout, Thorne, who it also has been revealed is the druid Sonya's father, cannot reach them. He is blocked by the invisible barrier that the coven created through dark magic to repel any elves who attempted to invade their desmesne. As a wave of barrow hounds descends upon him, Thorne urges the rest of the party to go on without him, much to the dismay of Sonya, whose feelings about her father remain conflicted. Henry finds himself growing increasingly suspicious of Florina, noting that in addition to her strange behavior and the color of her eyes, she was able to pass through the barrier when Thorne couldn't. But with little choice, he urges his horse Gustavus into the narrow aperture and follows Florina and the rest of the party, even as the tidal wave of beasts washes over the barren land where they stood moments before. After an hour of travel through the tunnels, Florina tells them she thinks the barrow hounds have probably abandoned their pursuit of the party, and they take a moment to rest and heal. But even as Henry channels positive energy through his bond with the death god, Accuris, a buzzing sound alerts the party so something approaching from the tunnel ahead. Suddenly a swarm of evil-looking fairies called lamp blighters are upon them, and the Adventurers fight for their lives, even as the dark feys' arrows begin dropping them one by one into a magical sleep. Coron attempts to bolster the group with prayers to Accuris, but the cleric finds himself beset by a barrow hound which has stealthily been tracking the party through the tunnels. Between the barrow hound and the lamp blighters, now only Henry and Roisyll remain conscious to make a final stand against the dark fey forces.