Suddenly a strange, hollow-sounding howl erupted from the nearby trees. Everyone in the party turned to face the source of the noise. The bushes rustled and a creature emerged out of them - a creature unlike any other. It had the same appearance of all the dead trees around them, but had a human-shaped form, except for its hunched back.
The creature slowly crept over to the party, making similar but softer hollow cries than it had made previously.
Thoradin remarked, “Speaking of' grooin' trees, wha' the bloody hell is that'thin'?"
Kathris approached it cautiously. The creature stood still, watching her. She reached out a hand slowly towards the creature and gently touched it. The creature seemed to react affectionately to her touch. “Its made of wood. Dead wood” she said.
“A baby Ent, perhaps?” asked Wulfgar.
“No... It is natural, but not entirely....” replied Kathris with a tone of curiosity.
“Indeed, Sister. I sense something odd about it but it is no demon, nor related to one” added Wrathbringer.
Suddenly, the creature started to tremble. The bits of vines and branches that made it up started untangling and breaking apart. In the next moment the creature gave a gentle hollow cry as its entire body collapsed into an unrecognisable pile of dead tree branches and vines on the ground.
Kathris gasped.
“What was that?” asked Thoradin.
“My pet tree minion. I haven’t thought of a name for him yet though, do you have a suggestion?” spoke an unseen male from within the forest. The party all turned to the direction the voice was coming from.
The stranger stepped out into view. He wore dirty tattered cloth with a shadowy hood and was covered in bits of vines and branches, much like the mysterious creature. Two more of those tree creatures followed behind him, and a raven flew down and landed on his arm.
“Who are you?” snapped Kathris.
“I am Atrumentis” the figure answered. “No need for hostility, Night Elf. I am much like you, for I am a Morsarbor, the first of my order. I am learned in both the Druidic art of the Caoi Dulra and the teachings of Rathma. With knowledge of both sides of the Great Cycle of Being – the life and afterlife – I can better protect the balance of this world to keep it safe from both Heaven and Hell.”
“I was originally drawn here for this forests beauty. However, upon arriving exactly one moon ago, I noticed the trees were all dead or dying and I sensed the unpleasant presence of a demon. This place was not always like this... floating in a false and unholy darkness. It began only a short time ago. The ruins to the east of the den have long been a place of foreboding to my pack and I.”
“Pack?” asked the Night Elf archer.
“Yes, my pack of wolves that were kindly granted to me by the Spirits of Nature. I improved them though, using the knowledge of Rathma by imbuing their spirit into actual bodies of wolves and turned them into what I like to call Black Dogs. We had no desire to tread the ground of the fallen temple. The temple was once dedicated to Azshara. It was holy ground once, though now it is fouled. It is obvious that Azshara's power has waned for if this was still her consecrated ground, my doom would never have arisen from the bowels of the temple. Some weeks ago, muted rumblings were heard beneath the temple. We paid little heed to them until the skies darkened and the shadows deepened. It was high noon when it happened and the pack gathered so that I might calm them. I thought it to be an eclipse. It was not. The Shade Lord came among us then. He dominated my dogs, my children, with but a glance. I summoned vines from the earth to defend myself, but the vines turned to ash as soon as his shadow touched them – much like the rest of the trees of this forest”, said Atrumentis as he gently touched a nearby branch on a tree, causing it to fall off.”
“'Atrumentis,' the Shade Lord said, 'Bend to my will. You shall be the means of my revenge.' He walked amongst the terrified wolves and killed them all with a touch”, Atrumentis explained. “Once they were all dead his darkness reached out to the corpses of my children and altered them, animating them as demonic shade wolves. Powerless and numb, I ran. I've hidden these last few weeks from the shades that once were wolves and from the darkness that creeps out from the temple which once imprisoned the Shade Lord. I will hide no more. I have been gathering strength to face the Shade Lord again. He wants only to kill and those he kills, be they man-thing, wolf, or even tree arise as shades in his army. Will you allow me this revenge or do I have to fight you as well?”
“This Shade Lord certainly seems to be the true source of this evil. Alright, we will help you kill him, Atrumentis of the Morsarbor.” spoke Kathris.
“Meet me in the temple to the east of this den. Be wary of the shadows even the trees that lurk there. Prepare yourself before entering”, warned Atrumentis.
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The creature slowly crept over to the party, making similar but softer hollow cries than it had made previously.
Thoradin remarked, “Speaking of' grooin' trees, wha' the bloody hell is that'thin'?"
Kathris approached it cautiously. The creature stood still, watching her. She reached out a hand slowly towards the creature and gently touched it. The creature seemed to react affectionately to her touch. “Its made of wood. Dead wood” she said.
“A baby Ent, perhaps?” asked Wulfgar.
“No... It is natural, but not entirely....” replied Kathris with a tone of curiosity.
“Indeed, Sister. I sense something odd about it but it is no demon, nor related to one” added Wrathbringer.
Suddenly, the creature started to tremble. The bits of vines and branches that made it up started untangling and breaking apart. In the next moment the creature gave a gentle hollow cry as its entire body collapsed into an unrecognisable pile of dead tree branches and vines on the ground.
Kathris gasped.
“What was that?” asked Thoradin.
“My pet tree minion. I haven’t thought of a name for him yet though, do you have a suggestion?” spoke an unseen male from within the forest. The party all turned to the direction the voice was coming from.
The stranger stepped out into view. He wore dirty tattered cloth with a shadowy hood and was covered in bits of vines and branches, much like the mysterious creature. Two more of those tree creatures followed behind him, and a raven flew down and landed on his arm.
“Who are you?” snapped Kathris.
“I am Atrumentis” the figure answered. “No need for hostility, Night Elf. I am much like you, for I am a Morsarbor, the first of my order. I am learned in both the Druidic art of the Caoi Dulra and the teachings of Rathma. With knowledge of both sides of the Great Cycle of Being – the life and afterlife – I can better protect the balance of this world to keep it safe from both Heaven and Hell.”
“I was originally drawn here for this forests beauty. However, upon arriving exactly one moon ago, I noticed the trees were all dead or dying and I sensed the unpleasant presence of a demon. This place was not always like this... floating in a false and unholy darkness. It began only a short time ago. The ruins to the east of the den have long been a place of foreboding to my pack and I.”
“Pack?” asked the Night Elf archer.
“Yes, my pack of wolves that were kindly granted to me by the Spirits of Nature. I improved them though, using the knowledge of Rathma by imbuing their spirit into actual bodies of wolves and turned them into what I like to call Black Dogs. We had no desire to tread the ground of the fallen temple. The temple was once dedicated to Azshara. It was holy ground once, though now it is fouled. It is obvious that Azshara's power has waned for if this was still her consecrated ground, my doom would never have arisen from the bowels of the temple. Some weeks ago, muted rumblings were heard beneath the temple. We paid little heed to them until the skies darkened and the shadows deepened. It was high noon when it happened and the pack gathered so that I might calm them. I thought it to be an eclipse. It was not. The Shade Lord came among us then. He dominated my dogs, my children, with but a glance. I summoned vines from the earth to defend myself, but the vines turned to ash as soon as his shadow touched them – much like the rest of the trees of this forest”, said Atrumentis as he gently touched a nearby branch on a tree, causing it to fall off.”
“'Atrumentis,' the Shade Lord said, 'Bend to my will. You shall be the means of my revenge.' He walked amongst the terrified wolves and killed them all with a touch”, Atrumentis explained. “Once they were all dead his darkness reached out to the corpses of my children and altered them, animating them as demonic shade wolves. Powerless and numb, I ran. I've hidden these last few weeks from the shades that once were wolves and from the darkness that creeps out from the temple which once imprisoned the Shade Lord. I will hide no more. I have been gathering strength to face the Shade Lord again. He wants only to kill and those he kills, be they man-thing, wolf, or even tree arise as shades in his army. Will you allow me this revenge or do I have to fight you as well?”
“This Shade Lord certainly seems to be the true source of this evil. Alright, we will help you kill him, Atrumentis of the Morsarbor.” spoke Kathris.
“Meet me in the temple to the east of this den. Be wary of the shadows even the trees that lurk there. Prepare yourself before entering”, warned Atrumentis.