The Valley, A Summary of One Days Exploration Options

[Onasuma]

Good Evening,

It felt likely time that someone created this report for Auberon and so I have taken it upon myself to do so, summarising our first exploration into the valley where the hedge were beginning to grow.

--

On shifting to the enterance, we found the edges of the valley fairly compact, as predicted. Within this area, a bear of abnormal nature patrolled. Deadwood the druid conversed briefly with the bear, before being rebuffed, only getting across the idea that the bear felt trapped. On my approach it fled as all animals do from true blooded Drachyul.

Through the tight rock formations, we had a brief scuffle of little import before the space opened outwards into a small camp built around a great bonfire. We encounter hedge who were immediately identified as such by Ritter Wolfgang. We cut down 6 of them, while distantly others fled. Center to this camp was a chest containing a dozen or so letters, some in common while others were scribed in old languages, the script of magi and the ishmaic language that hurts to speak. While we had the capacity and skill to read all of these, it was decided that issues were pressing so we quickly gained the information of those we could read shiftly (spiritual runes and common) and decided that the rest would be best saved for a later date. I will include a full translation of all letter, when I have done so, somewhere accessible.

Meanwhile an effort was made to investigate the large tents around the area to ensure that chase could be given to those hedge who had fled into the valley. Some rites were in place to seal a totem of puzzle cubes away, that a barrier blocked the way ahead. One room contained a trap that struck you with spirit bolts and dispelling magic, the second a puzzle where opposite colours of magic had to be used to cancel a warding and finally a third room contained some sort of razor sharp silk the nature of which was lost on me.

With the cubes collected, they were assembled, placed before the barrier and we fought onwards. We captured a fairly potent soldier from amongst the next wave of hedge - I had intended to capture their caster, but he died in far fewer blows than I expected. Beyond this room we met a wolf that did not know its place in the nature order and refused to flee before its natural master. It was cut in half by a single spell, and its allies fled thereafter.

A band of hurdle approached us next. I do not have time for such creatures and we cut them to shreds.

The further we got into the valley, the more classicly Wallastovian the sky became. It had been dark and stormy from the moment we entered the valley, but by the time we were this deep the day allowed free passage for undead normally destroyed by sunlight. Beyond a warding filled with spirits of causing, a small wave of undead attacked me. We moved in, found some generators and ceased their production.

We were aware, from the letters, that we would at some point encounter one or more Hagrath (a covern of witches in a single body), and on being struck by the piercing eyes of a straw doll, we became aware we were within their territory. The spiritless amongst us moved their foci, as we fought some of their minions, eventually a large wave of potent scarecrows. With a great shout on encountering the creature itself, Count Valstein was able to render the Hag unconcious, at take it back to the keep in order to keep it for future interogation. The Circle members with us disassembled some kind of rite containing the heart of a child from the back of hovel.

A handful more fights brought us to the enterence of the cave we were seeking. It was marked with dark spiritual power, causing one to collapse in agony on trying to enter. It is to my great surprise that I felt a jolt of pain - an experience I had not felt in years - on my crossing it.

Inside the cave some spiders coward before the prescence of a Ritter while we entered deeper. Hanging on the walls were 4 totemic masks, each containing a power - one magical, one spiritual, one druidic and one a blowdart. While there seemed no way past them, on tracking the ground, some plates were found that, when stood on collectively, opened the cave wall ahead of us. This was achieved and we proceeded, without Deadwood who remained talking to the spiders.

Into the cave proper we were attacked by a smattering of elementals - to my best knowledge these were not generated and were just present at the time - and puzzled over a bridge that had no footprints on it. We did not solve this problem as, when I walked over it, it seemed to be an entirely normal bridge and others followed soon after. It is maybe possible that it had simply been swept. At this point we heard screaming and the words to the touch of death prayer.

Running ahead of the party, I interupted what looked to be a ritual sacrifice, saving a serf kidnapped from Tartovia. Her companion was already dead in the next room from her. She was told to wait until we could get her out safely (and I believe this occured later in the day). One of the Hedge sacrificing her was killed, the other, I believe was render unconcious though I do not know this to be the case as I believe the Onyx elf travelling with us wished to devour him. I do not know which result occured.

A ritual flooded the next room with dark power, unwelcome power. A shrine set up to 5 dark gods spat in our face. Wolfgang and I desecrated it, severing ties from Iron and Empire, Certizel, Dunatis, The Servants of the First Evil and The Destroyer. Once the link was severed, Wolfgang sealed the power for The Drachyul - I was not involved in this and would make clear I lay no claim on supernatural power found in these lands.

Some giant bats quaked before the might of The Order, before having their hearts exploded, and we progressed to find another prisoner sealed in a cell. Dozens of prisoners sat in dozens of cells, in fact, though only one was conscious enough to talk with us. The doorway seemed to repel living creatures from it, and she claimed zombies came in and forcefed her. I do not understand specifically why this occured, but it is worth noting. The doorways were tied ritually to a nearby warding. An efficient use of a wight got us to the it unhasseled by the undead in the area (which stank of rotten meat).

The ritual at the back of the room was druidic nonsense - the seasons, a compass and a line of fire and water. Each needed to be perverted so the warding would fall apart. The room itself thrummed with ritual power, though I do not believe anyone investigated its specific nature. It was removed fairly rapidly, needing only a fireblade and a few wisely chosen evocations to collapse it.

At this point we doubled back to free the prisoners, made meet up in one safeish area and teleported those who we could away. I do not have exact numbers, though all came through the keep.

A short scuffle with some hedge led us to some portal guardians, one whos blade contained shadow strikes, the other whos blade contained shocks. They beat me to death very quickly. By the time I had reformed, they were both destroyed.

Behind them a room contained a great entropic portal, the nacht spilling into the room. We debated, thoroughly the practicalities of maintaining this portal in its usable state for us to hunt the hedge who had escaped that day but it was decided by the member of The Circle (and against my judgement) that it was the right thing to close the portal. It had connections to 10 locations across the baronies, all of which needed to be invoked to sever it. I do not have the list recorded, but I hope one of us still has the list as it was certainly written down.

Leaving the cave we headed to a fortification to the south west of our location, but in the center of the valley. We cut down some hedge, captured one, and encountered some powerful golems, shaped like hooded ratfolk. The intent was to move past them in a mists to avoid damaging defense we might later pervert, but one of them cast a high ranking dispel and began battering the less fortuitous members of our group. They were fairly invulnerable to 3ft of steel, even bound with magic and spirits. Sharp blades and magic dug deep into them. During this fight, we found the corpses of some hedge, presumably cut down by the golems.

There was more to the camp than we could easily explore, but travelling to the center we found the decayed body of a ratfolk. On attempting to remove the perfectly preserved bag from their body, spectres of ratfolk rose from the ground around us. On becoming aware of the prescence of Drachyul they submitted to our will. They were in fact passionate servants of a missing Ritter (presumed to be Drachyul) who had been taken to a stone circle in the woods. We took the dead ones bag and read the notes within.

--

We intend to travel again in just under a months time. At this point we intend to first travel to the named stone circle in the north-northeast of the valley to see what has become of this knight. Time allowing there are many more areas within the valley we could travel to - my strong suggestion is the wizards tower in the south. While not close to the stone circle, it feels like the most logical place to strike to prevent the hedge gaining too strong a foothold within the valley.

There are also 3 villages (North, center and south), a fortress, ruins, another two cave, a lake, a waterfall, a second more lush forest, a military outpost and a great dead tree. The wizards tower, ruins and fortress are all marked with a drop of blood on the map. If anyone has scrying capability, I would welcome them choosing on of the areas to look into. I have no skill here, bar my exceptional eyesight.

I look forward to continuing this great work with you, and thank you for your service,

Baroness Erika Von Brehmen