Dark Elves in Silkwood

[Yar Ydnar]

Had a start just this day. Encountered two Dark warriors at the bottom of the Silkwood Caves.  Take heed.  They were outfitted for action and more than able to defend, or take, from the unprepared.  Where there are two there are many.

Riley Alexander

[Ravemore]

A woodsman from the Silkwood has been seen warning any who will listen that dark elves have been spotted in the Silkwood. He claims he is lucky he made it out of the woods to tell the tale, and spent several hours hiding in the bushes after they passed him. They were last spotted heading towards the area of the forest known to contain caves. He's travelling to the nearest settlements to pass on his warning.


//OOC, just fair warning. This is not an investigation for lower levels or small unbalanced groups. You undertake at your own peril. ;-) The danger will be present until the server resets or the threat is removed. A GM may, or may not be present for the action.

[gilshem ironstone]

A gray rolls in to the Wild Surge, sits at the bar and begins speaking to whomever will listen.

Now I heard that there were dark elves in the Silkwood.  Maybe that is so, or maybe they are dead.  I was down in one of the cavern systems rooting out spiders, and came across a camp, some strange altar and a chest.  No dark elves, and we were not ambushed either.

Anyone hears anything contrary contact me through Calise.  I dont want their filth on the surface or anywhere else.

He sips a glass of wine and smiles at the lady next to him.

[Ravemore]

//If someone defeated them, please post.

[Guardian 452]

// Enzo was there but spiders were too much so he turned back... Saw the camp fire in the distance but I wasnt close enouth to see if any Dark Elves were over there.

[Ravemore]

// Thanks for your report!

[Alatriel]

Samantha Merritt turns in a report that was given anonymously:

A group of dark elves seem to have been gathering in a cave in the Silkwood Forest.  Turned in along with the report is a book that is reported to be written in dark elven, though Samantha could not understand it personally.  

It is reported that those dark elves that were present at the time have been dispatched, but further investigation is recommended to ensure that it was a one-time occurrence rather than something larger, as well as investigation into the meaning and writings in the book to possibly understand what it was that the dark elves were doing there.

It is reported that the spiders present did not harm the dark elves, but there seemed to be a lot of them (the spiders).

Present among them was a powerful mage, a skilled man-at-arms, and several others totaling to about a dozen dark elves.

The report is passed to both the Brelin Kingdom, as the report was taken in Center, as well as the Rofireinite church for documentation and investigation.

[cbnicholson]

Daniel alerts the woodland folk as he and Breanna make a circuit patrol of Silkwood.  Two dark elves were slain in the southron portion of the wood closest to Wayfare after they refused parley or to yeild to superior skill in arms.  The healers of Aeridin were informed in person by Daniel and Breanna both and asked they continue to patrol on behalf of the woodland folk.   The healer in charge promised to keep the few rangers and druids they knew on high alert.
 
Daniel sent a followup letter, notifying the small shrine that no more dark elves were found.

[gilshem ironstone]

Gel'larian goes to the office of Captain Alicia and tosses a bloody robe on her desk.

Dark elves in the Northern reaches of the Silkwood. I will be hunting them, if you want to arrange a hunting party, I could lead it for
you. You can find me at the Wild Surge for three hours before I leave town again.

He leaves the office with out waiting for a reply.

[Ravemore]

She looks at the bloody clothes with a blank look, pulls out her dagger, and sweeps them into the trash can next to her desk. She goes back to scribbling the report she was working on...

[gilshem ironstone]

Inside the Wild Surge, Gel'larian beings to weave a tale of the dark elves stalking the woods.  He magically adds in some lighting from underneath his table so that the shadows plat up on his face.  He warns of a shadow and a threat in the forest, whose extent is unknown, and warns any travellers away from its edge.

Once he has finished his tale, he finds a quiet corner and pens a letter to the authorities of Paruin, Drake and Krandor telling them of all he has seen in the Silkwood Spider Cave and near the home of the Silkwood Witch.  They are sealed with a hawk carrying a heart in one talon and a clutch of arrows in the other.  The letters are taken to a falcon messenger service and sent off post-haste.

These tasks completed, he heads back in to his beloved Silkwood and begins his patrols.

[Lance Stargazer]

**In the meantime Aesthir walking alongside Myr reports a sight of two dark elven warriors ambushing them to the west of the city, he gives description of the equipment and presents the head to the authorities to be placed on pikes for the peopel to see them *

[Lance Stargazer]

*Aesthir presents another report  in Haven speaking of a bunch of Ca'duzites to be seen on the spider cave ,  he presnt several heads on pikes for the fence as well , he mentions that the other withnesses were  Rory and Myr *

[gilshem ironstone]

The silence was maddening.  The forest was supposed to be a place filled with nature's music: birds, insects, the rustling wind.  It had fallen away under the oppression of the dark elf threat slowly engulfing this cherished place.

Gel'larian pushes all that down as he draws his bowstring back, and a silver arrow magically appears in his fingers.  He focuses in on the target and the otherworldly hum of Al'Noth fills his body as he takes aim.  He hums a soft tune and feels a icy connection along his arm, out the bow and in to the small bit of exposed neck that the dark elf stalker exposed.  The magical energy spills out of him as he looses the arrow and less than a second later, the enemy falls flat on his face.

The gray elf then scampers up, almost on all fours to the body and plunges a dagger in to its vital organs to ensure the kill is good.   He rolls the body over and looks over its ebony face.  The look of surprise from the arrow piercing his neck will be his rictus, a more appealing look than the hatred that his last kill to its grave.

With a grunt he moves the body in to some deep underbrush, so that it cannot be discovered with out a concerted effort.  That done he turns towards the path that his evil cousin had come from, a feeling of dread welling up inside him.  Following it he eventually arrived at the camp of the prospecters that hermitted away in the woods.  Two of those solitary folk that make a life in the wilds, pulling small bits of valuable minerals from the riverbed.  Gel'larian had seen them from time to time in the last few decades, and had even shared a meal or two with them.  They were good men, and lively, and now as he approached their camp, he could see that their memory would be all that was left of them.  There was a struggle but those two were old and not warriors besides; they never stood a chance.  He found a small figurine that one of them had carved and tucked it in a pouch.  He would at least have something to bring their life in to the light of day, instead of lying forgotten in their forested tomb.

Gel'larian replaced the fond remembrance of the fallen innocents with the stoic hunters mask as he heard a panicked squirrels cry from a ways off.  He quickly cast a spell of invisibility, and began to stalk towards the sound.  There was no peace to be found yet, but there were still questions to be answered.  Why were they here in these woods?  What is their plan?  What will it take to drive them off?  His head swam as he considered this.  He had no idea of their numbers or desires, only that larger raiding parties were about, and they were serious about their business.

The only way he could see finding an answer to any of this, would be to ask one of the dark elves.  That means catching one, which is a tricky business.  He would need help.  A million options ran through his mind as he walked in the deepening gloom.  He tried to block out the rush of ideas until he could find out what this latest disturbance was.

[Guardian 452]

Myrddyn stops by his fathers (Enzo Reynolt) house . He tells Enzo of all the spiders they saw that seemed to be hatching their little ones. Then he goes on to tell Enzo about the great number of Dark elves several of which had symbols of spiders that they wore. They (the dark elves) were comming down into the cave as Myr and his companions (Aesthir & Rory) we going back up and out. He tells of some that had the upper body of a dark elf and the torso of a huge spider.

Myrddyn goes on to ask Enzo, if he thinks those dark elves were infact comming down into that cave at that time because of all the spiders that were hatching.

//this is my follow up to Aesthir, Rory and Myrddyn being in the spider cave on 8-4-2011

[Lance Stargazer]

*Some days after Aesthir is seen coming near the Toranite temple looking for Certain Cedric of Toran , he doesn't enter the temple and sends a courier in, he shows a prideful and almost challenging smile standing at the feet of the temple as if expecting to someone to see him openly*

[ystrday]

*A couple of days later Rory enters back into the spider cave to investigate the cave more thoroughly. Her objective hopefully to get an idea possibly where the dark elves are entering through the cave.

The day prior she sends word to her husband what she is doing and where she is investigating*

[Yar Ydnar]

Encountered two Dark Archers in the Silkwood Caves.  It also appears that they have brought a few pets with them.  In addition to the usual assortment of death I encountered spiders of the Queen, Spittiing, Chamelion, Phase, Dark Underworld, and Rock species.  There may have been others but they escape me.  I was also attacked by a young centepede, and diseased spewing rats.  Adventurers beware.

Best/

Riley Alexander

[Lance Stargazer]

*Argos returns home to find Rory's note and startled just take his things again and takes some water and food and start to head east,  a furrow on his brow as he goes and search for his wife, with his senses open to danger, Before leaving he checks that the kids are effectively not there and then moves out*

[Ravemore]

Gel'larian was anxious. So many things could go wrong with this plan, but it was agreed that knowledge of what the dark elves were up to would be a cornerstone to any viable defense or response.

Three rangers from Folian's Vale had agreed to accompany him. They laid in the underbrush on a small outcrop of rock above a decoy camp they had made. Sacks of grass had been stuffed under cloaks and blankets to appear as sleepers, and a smoldering fire burned slowly near some equipment. The sun was dipping below the unseen horizon, shielded from view by the great trees. Arrows were knocked to bowstrings, and several tanglefoot bags were within reach.

The three watchers almost missed the slinking shadow making its way toward the camp. It moved slowly, and deliberately. Locks of snow white hair could be seen poking out of the edges of a hooded cloak by the light of the fire.
Gel'larian tossed the bags and they struck true, sticky tendrils spraying everywhere and binding the stalker. The immobilized dark elf did not make a sound, replacing a cruel looking dagger into a sheath and drawing a short sword. The four guardians of the forest waited to ensure there were no others. The minutes ticked by, the dark elf not moving except to scan the area around himself for an attacker. Confident there were no more dark elves, Gel'larian and the three rangers began making their way toward their prisoner.

Then the hells broke loose! In a heartbeat the dark elf was struck with multiple arrows, his mouth immediately beginning to froth with the tell-tale signs of poison. They realized there must be numerous other dark elves in the woods, and they had coldly killed one of their own to eliminate any risk of capture. One of the rangers accompanying Gel'larian was struck in the throat and had no chance, falling to the forest floor to die. Then they were running... The night was a haze and a blur. It took all of their skill to make it back to Folian's Vale alive, as they were hunted without pause or remorse. Poisoned arrows humming in the darkness. The guards at the Vale hastily opened and closed the gates to let them in after appropriate challenge and passwords were exchanged.

Gel'larian knew things were bad... and more importantly, they were going to get worse!