The Crimson Dryad (Igrainne) 28/5

Report by Springwarden Igrainne Blackriver for the Emerald Enclave

Kantas' vast, largely unexplored forest is named the Angelbark Woods and is located north of the Faerunian settlement of Daring Heights. It houses a smaller settlement of its own in its southern edge, amongst cypress trees growing over 100 meters tall, called Bloody Creek. Recently, some children in Bloody Creek fell ill to an unknown affliction.

Symptoms: fever, redness of the skin, hair turning to a copper colour
Diagnosis: undetermined

The local priest reported seeing the patients play with a creature he called "the Crimson Dryad" three to four days prior. This creature was described as having grey bark for skin and red leaves for hair -- unusual for a dryad -- and could be heard weeping by a burnt oak tree known as the Laughing Oak deeper into the woods.

The local physician, a weird little kobold fluent in the Common language and goes by the name of "Dr. Mayhem", opined that this illness is magical in nature and was most likely caused by the Crimson Dryad. He requested the bark-skin of the Dryad to create a remedy with.

Two warriors, one mage, and three rangers (including me the author of this report) volunteered for this mission. 

It was also known that a local human hunter had gone after the Crimson Dryad himself two hours prior to the adventurers' arrival in Bloody Creek. The party followed his tracks on a trail known as the Donkey Road whilst navigating through the forest.

After some two or three hours of travelling north, the colours of leaves and flowers became weirdly unusually brighter and tree branches would shake in response to spoken Sylvan. I The author of this report thinks that this was an area of the Feywild that was somehow transplanted onto the Material Plane -- one of the many instances of planar irregularities oft reported in Kantas.

Further along the trail, the colours gradually washed away from the surroundings until they become grey and gloomy. The party had entered an area of the Shadowfell. It is there where a stone gate sculpted in the shape of a dragon's head lies almost hidden, guarding ancient ruins of the same material. The author of this report is later informed that these ruins are part of the Darkfort. The race or culture that built the Darkfort remains undetermined.

The Laughing Oak stands within the ruins, and a creature that matched the description of the Crimson Dryad was observed weeping in front of it. Contact was initiated and the Crimson Dryad told her story: she claimed to have been an eladrin elf named Talia once; she was travelling with her sisters for a pilgrimage until their warrior escort betrayed them and sold them to entities called the Three Sisters of the Bog. The Sisters allegedly murdered twelve of the women, turned one into a frog, and sacrificed the remaining six in an unspecified ritual -- who returned to life as dryads. The traitorous guard was also killed by having his heart ripped out of his chest, and he returned to life as an undead being.

The author of this report felt there was no need to consult the Enclave to determine that these alleged acts, should they be true, would be abominations against nature.

When the offer of a mercy killing was extended to the Crimson Dryad, she hesitated, despite having lamented that death is preferable to the state she is currently in. When asked about the children of Bloody Creek, she gave only vague answers, but agreed to let scrapes of her bark-skin be taken by the party.

As soon as it was done, an undead eladrin man appeared by the trees behind the Laughing Oak. By his words, it seemed that he had been searching for the Crimson Dryad and tracking the party of adventurers. He summoned forth ghouls and an undead ogre and proceeded to attack the Dryad and the party.

The Crimson Dryad enclosed herself in an armour of twig blights to protect herself from the onslaught. The adventurers totally fucked up slew the eladrin and his undead servants. When the final blow was struck, his body crumbled to dust, leaving only his weapons. However, the author of this report believes this was not the last Kantas will see of him.

The undead ogre bore an emblem on its body -- three arrows pointing into the centre of a circle. It is known that there had previously been another undead ogre found with this same symbol on its person, but its meaning has yet to be deciphered.

When the battle was finished, the Crimson Dryad's sorrowful face peeked from the twig blights and uttered a few final words to the party. Quote: "I can't resist its power." She then retreated into her armour and disappeared into the woods.

The party of adventurers returned to Bloody Creek with the bark-skin scrapings. Dr. Mayhem crafted a medicinal salve from them, which he rubbed on the skin of the patients. He said that he requires at least two days to know the effects of the salve, if any at all. 

The author of this report sees two ways forward: to find the Three Sisters of the Bog and to investigate the ruins of the Darkfort and its surrounding areas of planar irregularities, but awaits guidance from the Master of the Wild. 

End of report.

PS. Mother, please send to me the Yawning Portal's recipe of ale-battered quipper and chips ASAP. Send it to The Hung Rabbit Inn in Daring Heights. I know you said to not put personal messages in official reports, but I'm out of parchment and postage is expensive. Love, Iggy.