Between a roc and a hard place, Arien Siar'luin was the first to stumble
upon a contingent of spriggans, fiercely defending the entrance into the
area above. Fortunately, Serenwilden reinforcements were right behind
her, and together, they forced their way into tunnels obscured by icy
fog. Climbing upwards, they arrived at the entrance into a verdant
hidden valley, scarcely showing any hallmarks of civilisation. Together,
they travelled through a darkened forest, passing a cave with a cryptic
abandoned hearthstone, until they sighted a small settlement nestled
against the Estengere river upon stilted houses.

Instead of joyful greetings and discoveries, emptiness and silence
greeted them, swathing the settlement like a deathly pall. Cautiously,
the Serenwilders, now joined by emissaries from Glomdoring, ventured
further in. To their surprise, the beings they finally encountered were
aslaran, lost, behaving in a feral manner, and far away from the open
plains preferred by their kind. When approached, the aslaran were not
hostile, but neither were they sane, behaving more like beasts reduced
to their most basic instincts than sentient beings.

Selenity and Arien, both of House Siar'luin, eventually came across a
semblance of sanity in the form of a wizened aslaran proclaiming himself
to be Maheil, the Ritualist. Though more coherent than the others, he
fixated upon a keystone that had to be found and placed on the
hearthstone right outside - the second one to be found in the valley.
Unable to pry any further information, the members of the communes
located the keystone. Selenity placed it into the hearthstone, thus
opening a pathway into Daeiv ma'Mornhai.

Joined by delegations from the cities, they arrived within a serene
glade, a healing mound at its centre, pristine and gleaming with light.
The air about it wavered and a peculiar scent clung to the glade,
suggesting that all was not as it seemed, and soon, the adventurers'
investigation was cut short by cries of help. Rushing through a grove of
fallen trees and passing another, albeit befouled, healing mound, the
explorers discovered a hamlet of bizzare porcelain houses, full of
scared and weakened brownies. In their midst, Paeridimon Willowshimmer
stood, hands tucked in his pockets even as he hopped from foot to foot
in impatience.

Speaking in hushed tones about an "Oracle" who has enslaved them,
Willowshimmer urged the visitors to assist them in restoring the wards
protecting this part of the Ethereal Plane. While some rushed to banish
the spriggans loitering outside the hamlet, others stayed with the
brownie to query him about recent events and dangers they should prepare
for. Still unwilling to speak the Oracle's name aloud, Paeridimon
revealed that she was once a good person, a fighter for freedom, but her
sorrow twisted her and inevitably led to her doom. He explained that she
returned a few months prior with a host of spriggans, somehow empowered
and emboldened.

The brownies fought agains the invasion, but little by little, the wards
put in place by the Stalker of the Woods, the Vernal Il'garala, gave in
to the Oracle's power, and she enslaved them for her own purposes.
Called upon to battle against the corruption of nature by the Goddess
Lisaera, the sister of their Awakener Elfenhoala, they managed to break
though and leave, but little came of it, for, in their weakened state,
they could neither help, nor call for help. Here already, the
adventurers listening to the tale could scarcely contain both their
curiosity, awe, and horror for the history of this place was saturated
with fabled Elder and Vernal names alike and artefacts of power found
therein were thought to be lost or destroyed.

Meanwhile, two of the three pylons surrounding the hamlet, and lending
the plane its protection, had been restored, and with that, the
hearthstone Paeridimon had been guarding could be activated, allowing
for the leader of the brownies to be called to seal the corrupt healing
mound through which spriggans had been coming to the grove. And so, the
Milch Mother had arrived to cast her blessing but the reunion was
short-lived - sensing the disturbance, the Oracle finally made an
appearance. Wreathed in darkness, Cimtri, the Oracle of the Earthburner,
descended upon the hill. A battle ensued immediately as she stormed the
Milch Mother. Maladaari of Gaudiguch, Xanward and Tylwyth of Glomdoring,
Taevyn McCloud , Marcella n'Lochli, Vhula of Serenwilde, and still many
others, stood in her way but failed to protect the brownie's leader. Her
poise crumbling and vanishing, Cimtri thundered a warning and departed.

What remained of the adventurers fell back to Paeridimon with more
questions than answers. The Oracle spat in rage about wishing to destroy
the aslaran, but what did they have to do with Il'garala, who turned out
to be her mentor? And why did she turn on a place that Il'garala
seemingly protected? Answers eluded the brave adventurers who remained,
and so they called upon reinforcements and sought to summon the Milch
Mother again. This time, they engaged Cimtri in numbers and refused to
yield 'til she was defeated. When the battle for the hilltop was over,
however, nobody was found.

Turning to the task at hand, they returned to the grove to restore the
fallen trees at Milch Mother's behest. Willowisps living in the grove
danced and twirled in the air as each tree was restored to a sapling
full of vitality. When the last of them turned its branches to the sky,
Milch Mother bade them to return to the aslaran sanctuary, for the wards
of Il'garala would protect the powerful healing mounds now, and the
witch, along with her spriggan cohorts, had been banished.

Miraculously, now that Ethereal was safe and the trees restored, the
aslaran in the sanctuary appeared more stable and in control. The Elder
Maheil beseeched those who came to assist in restoring the aslaran
memories in return for him revealing the fate that brought them here.
One by one, the peace of mind of the other Elders was recovered and
Maheil set about to preparing for a ritual. As he worked, he revealed
that the aslaran in the sanctuary are a motley group of refugees from
the Vernal Wars, driven from their homes and relentlessly pursued by the
Soulless Crazen. Exhausted and wounded, they had happened upon this
valley and its hearthstone crafted by the Vernal Hearth Sisters -
Il'vania and Il'garala.

Unaware of the consequences, they had used its power to heal themselves
and only belatedly realised this meant they would never be able to leave
the mountains lest risk madness that arose as they ventured away from
the hearthstone. And even should they try or die, they were returned
straight back to the valley. And so they had made it their home, their
sanctuary, and developed a new culture and new traditions to replace
those they lost. It was only when Cimtri had visited them not long after
that darkness befell their new home, but that was a tale the Elder was
hesitant in elaborating upon for their losses were steep. In the
aftermath, one of the hearthstones and the healing mound it drew upon
had been defiled, trapping the Oracle within itself.

Finally, the aslaran gathered at the vantage point overlooking the
Basin. Led by Maheil, Paramati, and Shanswati, they each cradled a
consecrated sky lantern, etched with prayers for those fallen to the
Soulless. But as tears were being shed and thanks uttered, the Oracle
returned with a vengeance, refusing to be defeated by those beneath her.
The battle was short, for Cimtri's powers had all but been exhausted and
the vantage point gathered delegations from each of the Basin's notable
organisations.

Once the witch was defeated, the lanterns were cast into the sky to
conclude the ritual and confine her back to the hearthstone. The glowing
markers floated upwards on a draft of their own making, pulling upon
Cimtri's essence and funneling it into her prison where she will dream
of vengeance and her beloved Earthburner forever more. And just like
that, memories had been recovered by the gathered aslaran for the ritual
to honour their fallen is a tradition they have followed for centuries.

But who had awakened the Oracle? And was she the force befouling all
nature? Those celebrating were about to find out.


Penned by My hand on the 1st of Urlachmar, in the year 402 CE.