he umbering enace - Part I

A few days spent resting and fishing upon the lake soon restored the health and spirits of Trimus and his companions. One bright, warm morning Jodotha, Ako and Darkhawk rode into town to collect supplies and have some minor repairs carried out to armour and weapons. As Jodotha stood, perusing a collection of finely wrought daggers, his well-trained ears drew his attention to a conversation between a pair of loggers having new shafts fitted to their axes. The rogue didn't shift his position, nor give any outward sign of listening, but listen he did.
"I don't like it Rogar." The first said shaking his head. "The eastern woods are dying, good trees are getting hard to find."
"The area we killed last year, to give the saplings room to grow what about there?" replied Rogar.
"All dead. The saplings have just rotted off. Not only that but trees that look healthy and sound on the outside are rotten in the core. Others are plagued with fungus and beetles making the timber worthless. The last lot I carted here barely brought me enough coin to cover my costs. Never has it been so bad."
"What about going further West?"
"I've heard it's just the same there. Not only that but strange beasts are said to walk the woods at night. I say it's them that's spreading this disease. If only Mavath was around to protect the forest, but no one's seen the old druid for months."
"Have you been to the council?"
"For what good that does, yes I have. But unless it comes from one of the families what do they care about complaints."
The two loggers paid for the work and left, Jodotha followed a few moments later, the shop owner scowling after the rogue who had decided not to buy anything after all.
"Ako, Darkhawk. We have a job to do." He said when he caught up with the fighter and cleric of Normanus in a quiet hostelry later that morning. "Drink up and I'll tell you what I overheard this morning."

"It is not just a threat to the forest, it's a threat to the city as well." Said Cain after Jodotha had repeated everything for a second time back at Lakeside House. "Why do you say that?" asked Jodotha.
Trimus smiled a supercilious smile. "Because we get a lot of food and raw materials from the forest. If that dies then the city will have to look further for trade goods. Not only that but who is to say that this evil will not affect the grain fields, the orchards and the rivers? The strange beasts may start attacking people in the streets. We cannot afford to delay. Let us hasten to the Phoenix and find the source of this evil."
Ako and Colloran looked at each other, Trimus seemed even more pretentious then normal.

They took the Phoenix up, with Ako at the controls and flew over the forest. At first all they could see was the deep green of healthy forest. Rivers, glinting like silver through the dark canopy fed quite lakes and pools. Small clearings with a logger's hut appeared occasionally but towards the centre the green became less healthy, more sickly. The trees became stunted and twisted and dead limbs thrust skywards while other trees lay shattered like the bleached bones of a long dead dragon upon the forest floor. Ako turned the skyship towards home a look of grim determination on his face.

"I could sense a faint miasma of evil emanating from the heart of the sickness." Said Colloran as they saddled up the horses. "I should be able to lead you towards the source once we get into the forest."
They road swiftly but quietly with Cain and Colloran at the head. Half an hour after entering the forest Colloran held up a hand to halt the party while he tried to determine the source and nature of the evil.
"It is faint yet pervasive." The paladin murmured turning his head from side to side, eyes lightly shut. "That way." He said pointing towards the north west.
They had barely moved off when Cain stopped and indicated that the others should move back. Unlike the others the mystic was on foot, his training enabling him to keep up with the others on foot. He moved forward into the undergrowth as it rustled and shook, something was in their. Cain made a few grunting, snorting sounds and waited. A few heartbeats passed then a large boar emerged cautiously from the bushes. It snuffled at Cain's outstretched hand while the mystic grunted low under his breath. The creature answered in a similar fashion, it's striped flanks shivering with tension and fear. The two continued their conversation for a few more minutes before the boar shook its head and scampered off into the bushes.
Cain stood up and frowned. "The boar has been moving through the forest. The forest is bad it says, the trees are sick, the animals are dying, the acorns are rotting. His mate and young ones died after eating some apples from a fallen tree. Moving to find a new home." Cain spoke in short staccato phrases mimicking the boar's speech without even realising it.

They rode on and the trees grew less healthy. Many had a strange sponge like growth upon them which seemed to be sucking the very life from the plants. The air which had been thick with the scent of flowers and growth was now heavy with the stench of decay. No birds chirruped from these gaunt branches. No squirrels scampered up the loose flaky bark. Even the leaves upon the ground were barren of insects and worms.
"Halt." Cain suddenly. "The air is thick with spores." He pointed at the sweating flanks of the horses, a pale grey dusting of spores had coated them like flour. "We may have already breathed them in." The mystic added with a nervous tone as he and the others covered their noses and mouths with cloths. They rode on more cautiously now and the trees became more spread out. Dead trunks and shattered, rotten branches lay across the trail like a game of giant pick-up-sticks. The ground dipped slightly towards a wide stream, to their dismay they saw an oily film across the surface and rafts of bloated, silver bellied fish lay floating against the roots of dead trees.
"We should follow this back to it's source." Suggested Cain sniffing the air then wrinkling his nose in disgust. "Whatever polluted it must have come from there."
They moved slowly upstream never moving out of site of the sluggish stream. They had travelled a few hundred yards when Jodotha called for silence.
"There's something in the trees." He whispered before calling out. "Who goes there? Friend or foe?"
In response a quartet of green skinned trolls burst forth leaping and screaming with arms and legs waving crazily. The horses, surprised by the noise and motion reared up. Colloran, Ako and Trimus were thrown to the ground. Colloran struck his head on an uprooted tree and lay on his back groaning. Trimus and Ako grabbed the reigns of their horses before they could bolt but struggled to calm them down. Jodotha and Darkhawk fired crossbow bolts at the leading pair of the trolls but almost as soon as they hit the wounds started to heal again. Trimus pulled a wand from his pack and pointed it at the trolls but nothing happened. Cursing, the young mage dropped the now useless length of wood and concentrated on calming his stead. Jodotha and Darkhawk's mounts, panicked by the sound of the crossbows panicked and tossed their riders to the ground. Jodotha's horse tried to club one of the trolls with its hooves but the trolls wickedly curved claws ripped the horse's belly open. Tripping over it's own entrails the horse went down screaming horribly till the troll sunk its teeth into the beast's throat.

Dismounting from his nervous horse, Trimus slapped it to scare it off into the forest, before casting another spell and a water elemental rose from the polluted brook. Trimus pointed at the trolls and the vaguely humanoid mass of water sloshed it's way across the leafy ground towards the trolls.

Cain was in single combat with one of the trolls. His kicks and blows were angering it more than damaging the creature whose broken bones and loosened teeth repaired themselves almost as fast as Cain could cause the damage. The troll was equally ineffectual, it's wild swinging blows either sailing over the nimble mystic's head or beneath his leaping feat. Sensing rather than seeing the approach of Trimus' water elemental, Cain ducked under a blow from the troll and using his speed and natural balance threw the troll over his shoulder. The water elemental engulfed the troll, ripping limbs apart and bursting the creatures lungs.

With the elemental's aid the tide of battle soon turned and soon a greasy spiral of smoke rose from the forest as Trimus and the others burnt the remains of the trolls so that they would not attack anyone else. After Ako had called upon Normanus to heal the wounds born by his comrades and Trimus had done what he could with his more mundane skills they continued up the stream. Trimus had reclaimed his stead and Colloran, though still groggy, was able to ride. Jodotha walked beside Cain as they moved through the woods, the mystic and the rogue watching and listening for anything out of the ordinary. After about an hour they reached the edge of a clearing. At the centre was a low, grassy mound surrounded by twisted trees. A pool, the surface and shore of which was littered with dead, bloated fish, lay at the foot of the mound. Leaving the horses loosely tied at the edge of the clearing they scouted the area around the mound. The ground held no footprints, but they did find an opening in the knoll, the ground around it heavily churned and disturbed. Jodotha and Darkhawk moved inside the opening and found a small single roomed dwelling place. The furniture was of a strange design, seemingly made from living plants. Earth and stones tumbled from the roof as they explored and fearing a collapse they retreated back outside. There premonition was correct, moments later the mound sighed and reclaimed the small space, an exhalation of damp air billowed from the opening before it was completely swallowed up by the slumping mound.
"I picked this up on the way out." Said Darkhawk holding up a polished walking stick. The head had been carved into a likeness of an oak tree, the leaves polished and smoothed by the grip of a hand over many years.
"Hush." Whispered Jodotha. "I hear movement in the forest.
"It'll just be the horses." Said Trimus. "The forest is dead." Just then an arrow sped past the mages head and thudded into the mound close to where Darkhawk was standing. The arrow was only half the size of a normal shaft but the head was viciously sharp. Jodotha spotted movement in the trees, pointed it out to the others as they fanned out to gain what cover they could before moving towards the trees. Jodotha fired a crossbow bolt towards the movement glimpsed in the shadows. "That was a warning shot. Come out now and we will spare you." shouted the rogue. The only answer was another volley of arrows. The companions moved slowly through the forest, watching for signs of movement and a glimpse of who their foe was. Suddenly the foe found them. Leaping from the undergrowth were spiders, a pace in diameter with green and brown striped bodies. Atop each of them, seated in a leather saddle was a wood imp. Only one or two feet tall these malicious creatures screeched at each other in their strange tongue and fired their bows at the companions. Darkhawk turned and fired his crossbow killing one of the imps instantly, the rider less spider scuttling off into the darker depths of the forest.
"Are you behind this destruction? Where is Mavath? Surrender you have no chance against us." Trimus shouted boldly first in the common tongue then in hesitant elven. The imps did not reply but instead fired more of their arrows. Trimus screamed as one of the shafts struck his thigh and the would around him blurred and sped up. Every action seemed to take so much effort, like walking through mud. He could see that Jodotha was suffering the same problem, the rogue having taken a wound from a spider's curved mandibles. Ako, Cain and Darkhawk however were more lucky and soon had the imps on the run, leaving the corpses of five of their fallen comrades behind along with two of the spiders.

Trimus seemed could not make out what the others were saying, their voices seemed strangely high pitched and the words blurred together. He saw Darkhawk swiftly searching the bodies finding nothing but a handful of golden coins and the strange, miniature bows. The warrior then drew his sword and flashed into the sky. Gradually the world returned to a normal pace and Trimus shook his head to clear the final dregs of the poison from his mind. Darkhawk returned a few moments later.
"I have flown around this part of the forest and I think I have located the heart of the disturbance." He said sheathing his sword. He led the others through the dead and decaying forest, trees covered in obscene growths of flabby, grey and puce fungus. Crossing another narrow stream choked with rotting vegetation they came across the corpse of a two-headed dear, the hind quarters of which had been gnawed at by some large carnivore. The stark branches of the trees gave the forest a midwinter feel but the smell of rot and decay hinted at the end of a hot damp summer. Cain held his hand up, the sound of something large moving ponderously through the trees could be heard.
"A bear?" whispered Jodotha.
"No." replied Cain, "But close. It's an owlbear. I will try to talk with it."
Shrugging off Colloran's hand on his arm the mystic moved towards the creature. As he got closer he could see that the beast was sick like all other living creatures in the forest. Raw skin glistened in patches where the thick fur of the owlbear had fallen off. The creatures eyes where dull and streaks of pus ran from the corners staining the golden feathers beneath them.
"Can I help you?" asked Cain in the language of the owlbear but got no answer other than a horse rumbling cry. He tried once more before the creature started to lumber towards him. Leaping over fallen branches hidden in the rotting leaves and ducking under low branches Cain led the creature towards Darkhawk and the others who had fanned out expecting such an outcome. As it got into range Trimus cast a trio of magic missiles while Jodotha and Darkhawk fired crossbow bolts. The creature was knocked to the floor by the force of the attacks and rose and tried to retreat. Jodotha stepped closer and administered a coup de grace with his sword, putting the sick beast out of its misery.

"I may not have been able to communicate with the owlbear, but I think I have fund a trail." Said Cain sadly. He led the others back along the track created by the owlbear to a cross trail that appeared to have been heavily used in recent times. To the north the trail descended into a depression in the ground and entered a dark maw like entrance. Colloran went to the entrance and shivered.
"This feels evil. Very evil." The paladin shook his head as he returned to the others. "This must be the source of the forest's problems."

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