18th Day of the Arc of Sahaad

The party began the session hiding in the trade house of a merchant named Tuck in Redwine, a city on the Eren River, south of Erenhead.  In compensation for his help, they agree to save Tuck’s father from a group of evil elves led by a large, albino orc.  Tuck has a lackey attempt to sneak the party out of Redwine in a wagon, hoping to escape the notice of the local Legate Ptolus and his men.  At the main gate, the party is stopped by guards when a raven, possibly the Astirax of Ptolus, spots the party.  But a mysterious, well-dressed Erenlander male intervenes with the guards to let the party go.

The company was dropped off on the road to Erenhead north of Redwine.  They cross the mighty Eren River using canoes provided by Haidar.  Once across, they locate friends of Haidar who provide horses for the group.  Riding north, they finally reach Haidar’s father’s home, located about a week south of Baden’s Bluff.  Both Kirgug, Haidar’s adoptive father, and Alaern, Haidar’s brother, are gone and the house is empty.  The party decides to spend the night in the house, fortifying a bit before turning in.  Even Thalan, long troubled by nightmares of the Shadow, sleeps well, helped by a concoction created by Lucial the Herbmaster.

At dawn the next day, the party is attacked at dawn by creatures made of sticks, twisted by some perverse magic.  The stick men assault the house but are slain by the party.  The company believes the local nexus has been corrupted somehow, and the corruption is spreading along the valley twisting the plants there.  They decide to seek out the nexus and set off.

As they march up the valley, the party is attacked by tree spirits that spring from the very trees themselves!  Working together, they defeat the unusual creatures, but only after Thalan’s beloved bow is destroyed by the creatures’ wood-warping powers.

The company discovers Alaern, Haidar’s brother, cocooned in the boughs of a large and hideously mutated tree.  They slay the tree and free Alaern, who is poisoned.  Alaern tells them a Legate named Serath is leading the company of evil Blackwood elves.  They have kidnapped Kirgug, who was working on a magic that binds wood to flesh.  Sarath took Kirgug hoping to learn these secrets.  Sarath corrupted the Nexus, hoping to mutate the trees with Kirgug’s magic and send them marching into Erethor in the campaign against the good elves there.  Despite the company’s best efforts, Alaern succumbs to his poison and passes away.

Strengthened by anger and thoughts of revenge, the Party heads north.  They ambush the company of Blackwood elves guarding the nexus until Sarath returns.  All of the evil elves are slain except one, which the party hopes to question.  In the battle, Lucial’s beloved animal companion is slain.  Their spirits are revived somewhat by the discovery of items of value on the corpses of the slain elves, including a magic bow (Elenon), two magic swords (Thalan, ?), a magic ring of protection (Haidar), and several healing potions (various).

Having divided up the booty, healed their wounds, and eaten, the party prepares to question their evil elf prisoner.  They are shocked when the elf is killed by a large rock thrown down into their midst by none other than the albino orc himself!