Carefully, the druid climbed the massive Stone of Brannoc, and with a final pull on the tree’s branch, he lifted himself up against the tree with a surprising nimbleness. Something had caught his eye. A single flower had sprouted at the end of a branch, and with extraordinary care he pulled it close enough to be examined. It was just as he thought. The process was reaching its final stage. All of his work, and the power of the tree, would soon reach its zenith, turning the tide against the destructive energy that was corrupting this land, and when that would happen, he had no doubt that this evil, like a starved beast, would violently lash out. Already, he could feel a shift in the Balance of nature, a slight shudder under the surface of consciousness. A feeling too vague to be examined, but unmistakable nonetheless. Who, or what, had cursed this land to decay? Cian the Druid pondered over the recent revelations as he climbed down the tree. Many ill omens and threats had come: the wandering daemon, the mage Penrose, the mysterious destroyer of the Keeper’s Grove, and the appearance of the dark wanderers of the wood, and their master, a man known only as “the Healer”. Yet, he could not shake the feeling that there was something more, something more fundamental and primal, that watched and pulled the strings from beyond the borders of our sight. It was a thought that disturbed him deeply for reasons he could not understand.

Every cure has its components. Medicine, potions, herbs and reagents. Sometimes a change of scenery is needed. But to cure this affliction, he knew, would require an entire shift in the Balance of nature. Correcting the Balance was not enough. It had to be shifted violently; it had to be rocked dramatically to shake the nightmare of the dark wanderers, and to rouse those that slumber from their eternal dreams.

On Thursday, April 7th at 8:00 PM EST, answer the druid’s call to across Sosaria to defend the Stone of Brannoc once it has driven the dark magics infesting the land out of hiding. This event will be assisted by PEC Wraith. Bring lots of supplies and be prepared to die. The location of this event will be at coordinates 76°22’S 18°59’W (1053, 2493), which is southeast of Skara Brae, at the northern tip of the Dragonhame Mountains. This is a roleplay event, and all who are interested are welcome to come and fight.

Backstory: Over the course of a year, misfortune and death has repeatedly fell upon Skara Brae and the inhabitants of the forests of Spiritwood. After the death of Corinna, the Keeper of the Rangers of Spiritwood, the order fell into shambles. To preserve the presence of rangers in Skara Brae, Governor Guy Greywulfe reformed the Ranger’s Guild of Skara Brae, naming an old and experienced ranger, Michael Mitre, as its Keeper. Since then, order has been preserved and maintained in Skara Brae as the Ranger’s Guild developed and carried out its duties. In the time since then, however, several misfortunes have come upon Skara Brae. A strange blue daemon appeared, wandering the countryside and attacking anyone it would find, sometimes even in towns. Elsewhere, the erratic and unstable Governor of Moonglow, Merek Penrose, and his army of Vadan’Myr had established themselves in the territory outside of Skara Brae, causing chaos and unrest in the area as they attempt to project their influence and control. In addition, word of a mysterious man known known as “the Healer” has spread across the land, first in booklets being dropped in various locations (and often accompanied by severed ears and healers robes), and then as a rumored leader of evil agents bearing the strange mark of a broken ankh: \+/

A few weeks prior, the druid Cian Brannoc appeared at the newly constructed Ranger Outpost, planting a stone in an open area. Over the course of several weeks, it grew out of the ground, becoming a large stone, and eventually a tree sprouted atop it. The “Stone of Brannoc”, he called it, is said to be purging the dark energy infesting the land around it which has disrupted the “Balance”. Cian has said that when the tree finally blooms and reaches its maximum potential, the corruption infesting the land will violently react in an attempt to save itself.