Session 441 – The Black Tree

5^thof Nuzyael (Spring) 729TR

The story so far

A group of heroes battles the evils haunting the beleaguered Kingdom of Kanday.

Sir Odin, a former Erkan of the Order of the Checkered Shield, has been raised to knighthood.

Remy, a former master thief and gambler, has won and lost fortunes.

Abaddon has traveled the wilderness, wielding a weapon of the gods, perfecting his impressive martial skills.

Edelina, a scholarly priestess of the god of Knowledge Save K’Nor, joins them on their adventures.

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This is the continuation of Session 440 - The Queen's Crown.

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The Queen of Kanday’s crown has been stolen from the royal castle, in the City of Aleath, by a magical duplicate of the hapless thief Silas.

The heroes are investigating and have discovered a hidden underground grove and the imprisoned genuine Silas near Kedis Castle. They have battled crude replicas of themselves, which, on their destruction, turn out to be nothing more than animated vegetation.

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Location: In the woods East of Kedis Castle in the Kingdom of Kanday.

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Part 1 – Old Enemy Returns

Silas, freed from the vines entraping him, is weak but quickly regains consciousness. He tells his harrowing story. About ten days ago, he wandered into the woods for some rabbit hunting and was attacked by the strange plant creatures, who dragged him into the underground. There he was confronted by a terrifying undead wizard, a human skeleton with bark and leaves for flesh. This sorcerous creature spoke with an old-fashioned manner and demanded to know what year it was, and when told, Silas’s memories seemed to flash in his head and be read by the undead. The undead gestured to one of the plant creatures lurking nearby, which slowly shapechanged into his form. The copy then left the cave, and the undead horror disappeared. Silas, encased in vines, had not seen him again and was starving, sustaining himself on chewed roots, the occasional insect, and moisture drops.

Abaddon believes he has the answer. As an elf, he is aware of a rare type of lich, used by spellcasters with elven blood and who have an affinity for nature magic. After sacrificing a Dryad, they become a Gladelich, a variant lich that binds its spirit to a tree, an immortal undead horror. This creature appears to have recently awoken from some form of slumber and may be planning to wreak havoc on the world.

Suddenly, from a side passage, an old enemy appears, Shageiros the Troll. With a roar, the brute charges the heroes. Suspecting another fake Edelina casts True Sight, which confirms her suspicions. She says it is a transformed plant creature, similar to the previous copies of themselves, but this one has a thick wooden skeleton. It is powerful but is quickly chopped down to size, and its pieces return to vegetable matter when destroyed. Edelina True Sight also reveals that the cave is filled with floating spores, which she speculates are linked telepathically. These spores transfer information from the hero’s memories to the undead ruler of this lair.

Part 2 – The Gladelich

The walls of the next cavern are filled with roots and a small pond. Edelina’s True Sight is still up, and she points out an invisible creature and well-hidden clumps of suspicious fungi. The undead horror appears after conjuring a storm of rock-hard, razor-sharp petals that tear at the hero’s exposed skin, and he is exactly as Silas described. A malevolent human-like skeleton, covered in clumps of decaying bark which partially replace flesh and skin. He speaks with an archaic accent, hurling insults and attacking with terrible flesh-twisting or life-stealing magic.

As the heroes approach the undead horror, they brush past revolting fungal growths that burst open, covering the characters in corrosive spores. These gouge rapidly through living flesh. Fortunately, Remy tears them to pieces with blast flying shards of shrapnel, and Abaddon and Odin close and hack into the Gladelich. It is worried, its body being cut up like an axe through a rotten tree stump. Muttering it starts an escape spell, but is cut down mid-syllable. However, the heroes know they need to find and destroy the tree that the soul of this horror is bound to.

Part 3 – Another Old Enemy

After a moment of rest, the party investigates a side passage opening into a small chamber. In the center of the hollow is a blackened, twisted, leafless small tree filled with cavities. In these cavities are haphazardly stored gems, old scrolls, and, most importantly, the missing crown. The investigators spot a web-like glimmer surrounding the tree; some form of magical barrier appears to protect it.

Unfortunately, more of these deadly fungi creatures guard the entrance, and stepping from the shadow is another old foe, the murderous undead knight Sir Morhgan Cade. The heroes have permanently destroyed Sir Cade before and are sure he is a copy. A careful examination reveals that it is indeed a fake, but it is far from perfect; many flaws are evident. This creature is a rushed job and quickly disposed of, as are the fungal outcrops.

Part 4– The Black Tree

Examining the barrier around the tree, Edelina is sure she can remove it. After much concentration and expending magical energy, it is dispelled, allowing the party to investigate. The many scrolls, which are a combination of a spellbook and a journal, are very enlightening.

Centuries ago, the Wizard Sirexus, a man with considerable elven blood, created the crown for the tribal Queen of the stronghold of Sarkum. The crown contained a link to his life energy, and it is possible that he had more nefarious plans; however, a sudden illness compelled him to invest his energy in immortality. He completed vile rituals and cruelly sacrificed a young dryad, claimed her tree, and became a Gladelitch. However, the process went awry, and he remained dormant until recently, when someone discovered and activated the crown's magical properties. Using his mastery of nature magic, he captured Silas the thief, created a copy of him, and stole the crown now in the possession of the Queen of Kanday.

After taking the scrolls, crown, and any treasures, the heroes destroy the tree. Believing, correctly, that they have destroyed the Sirexus, the Gladelich.

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Location: City of Aleath in the Kingdom of Kanday.

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Part 5 – Resolution

The party considers what to do with Silas, who is wanted for a serious crime he was not guilty of and will likely be executed if the authorities ever get hold of him. The heroes decide to claim that they killed him and let him escape, provided he gets out of the kingdom fast. Remy gets him to assist in his smuggling operation in the nearby Kingdom of Rethem.

With the crown recovered, the party returned to the City of Aleath as heroes. The castle constable, believing Silas the thief has been executed, calls off the ongoing crackdown on the thieves’ guild in the city.

Queen Dorthea meets with the heroes and is delighted to have her crown back. The young monarch explains that she has been studying the arcane arts, and she and her tutor, Erepel Tyarte, have recently discovered that her crown had latent magical properties and awakened them. This must have roused the Gladelich from his slumber. Queen gifts the party some powerful Healing Potions as a reward.

To be continued.

NPC Interactions

Queen Dorthea Kand.

Related Content

Aleath Guild of Arcane Lore - updated.

Created Content

Nothing this week.

Player Characters

Odin - Human - L16 Ranger

Background - Martial Disciple.

Archetype - Shadowdancer, Investigator, and Fighter.

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Abaddon - Elf - L16 Monk

Background - Martial Disciple.

Archetypes - Druid and Familiar Master.

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Remy - Human - L16 Aerokineticist (with Metal second gate)

Background - Acrobat.

Archetypes - Wizard, Acrobat, and Thief.

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NPC Companion

Edelina - Human - L16 Holy Sage Sorcerer

Background - Astrologer.

Archetypes - Psychic and Time Mage.

Next Session

Session 443 - Spies.