A taint upon the land

[Machiavelli]

Word spreads that a blight has fallen upon some of the farms of Sundren. Merchants and taverngoers speak of several farms known to supply the Exigo where diseased livestock have gone mad and had to be put down, and crops have withered and died. People are fearful that tainted food may have entered the city before the blight was discovered, and that it may spread to more of the farmlands of Sundren. Some even whisper the name of Talona, and speculate that her followers may be making the will of their mistress felt in Sundren.

It is also said by some that a blight has come to parts of the Viridale, and even that corrupted treants have been seen in the forest. Grim faces among some of the Grove's druids would seem to support the rumours that some new trouble has come to the forest.

[joker]

Calowyn Tir'ent is seen, in the Viridale Forest, trying to find the cause of this taint. He warns anyone that he comes across not to drink from the river in the Viridale.

[BattlePixie]

Mittens' feverish hunting howls are heard less and less in the forest at night and travelers talk of a strange, dirty little hin "sniffing" around at the crossroads.

[Things Muffin]

Having a drink in a tavern, Laura overhears this rumor. She shakes her head dismissively with a sly grin and turns back to her drink, but she makes a mental note not to buy food from the city anymore...

[Gamling]

Vilishan hears this and remembers the treants. "The druid had better figure something quick"

[Silas North]

*A young priest of Oghma lightly pokes the silently sleeping form of a bard in the corner of the temple, soon after quickly told to leave the man be. "He seeks knowledge", they tell the young priest "...better understanding of the present through knowledge of the past." A few books of basic Sundren historic accounts lay in a pile by his side, most of which belonging to the library.*

[Kangleton]

Somewhere far to the north, a series of footsteps change directions.

[joker]

Calowyn continues his patrols near the river. The few people he has come across do not seem to be followers of Talona. He fears if this tainting of the water continues, that all of the forest and the surrounding farms will be lost.

[Verrath]

Annie hears the rumor, and tells it to her aunt, worried.

"Oh rubbbish, child," her aunt says. "You're perfectly safe here, Honey, don't you worry."

Later that night, a girl and a rather portly badger slip quietly out of the house - well, quietly enough, at least, not to wake the snoring Aunt Millie - armed with the first thing that comes to hand in the yard's shed, a thoroughly rusted scythe - and set out to investigate. They will get to the bottom of this, by all the Gods!

[HurricaneMasta]

Saracen tipped back the last of his ale, nodded to the landlord, and headed out the door of the Ranger's Rest. As he closed the tavern door behind him, he spied the ranger Bullseye, seated on a trimmed stump of oak, whittling an arrow shaft.

"Hey Bullseye, how's it going?" he asked, gazing out over the Viridale's canopy while drawing a long fibrous leaf out of a pouch and beginning to chew.

"Not bad, Saracen. You?" Bullseye glanced up to meet his gaze, and accepted a portion of the leaf himself.

"Not too bad! Just had myself a tasty ale, now I'm back out on the road!"

"Mmm-hmm, mm-hmm, mm-hmm," nodded Bulleye softly in reply.

Saracen turned, leaning back on the railing of the Ranger Outpost. He craned his neck backwards, looking at the sky and the fading light of the day. He was in no hurry, though he still needed to find Fyodor, he thought to himself.

"Hey, you heard anything about that crazy stuff happening down at the Crossroads?"

"Crossroads?"

"Yeah. Out by Exigo."

"Oh, uh..." Bullseye considered for a moment and scratched his chin, tucking the arrow shaft and blade back with his thumb. "Not anything that you haven't, most probably. Dead crops. Diseased cows."

"Yeah."

"Yeah."

"Ok, well. Keep an eye out for me, will you? Ear to the ground and all that?" Saracen glanced over the side of the towering platform and looked back at Bullseye, smiling and squinting in the lowering light of the sun.

"Heh," the ranger chuckled. "Yeah, alright. Ear to the ground. Come around in a couple days, we'll talk."

Saracen headed off to the Outpost's stairway.

[Peridan]

*A man can be sitting by the river, a fishing rod in his hands in the rain. He gets a tug on the line and pulls out an already dead fish* Hmm...bad fishing....

*The man packs away his fishing equipment, and picks up his scythe which had been leaning against a nearby tree.* Guess I should....find the cause.... *the man walks away from the river in the pouring rain*

[ThePaganKing]

Tellesian stands next to a large oak tree, completely concealed from all those that flit about. He has been standing thus for over four hours, watching, listening, learning. He sees the goblins wobbling around and throwing up the water they just drank from the nearby stream.

He sees the flock of birds fall out of the sky after drinking from the tainted waters. He sees the carcasses of animals that dot the land here and there, bloated and diseased.

His anger begins to mount! "I will find out what brings the taint and destroy it, if it is the last thing I do!"

Tellesian quickly moves from shadow to shadow, hidden from all those about, as he makes his way to the crossroads.

[Dark presence]

An inquisitve shadow, Serena Taintedblood quietly lurks the land, working her healing and reversing the poisons wherever she finds them. She counters Talona's influence but also does her best to collect clues as to the source and cause.

[joker]

Calowyn and Saracen have tracked down the source of the tainted water. They can be seen warning people to stay clear of the Untrodded Lands, unless they wish to be attacked by Tainted Treants, animals and Fell Trolls. The agents of Talona have not been identified, yet!

[dieOrg]

Signs of a huge battle can be found near the camp fire in Exigo trading grounds.

Hundreds of prints of Goblins, Gnolls and Ogres can been seen in the mud, intermixed with their blood...

Unease and madness has spread to the outlying frontiers.