Merovech took the first watch. In the twilight darkness, he noticed a gradual change in the weather: it seemed to be getting cloudy. Rather suddenly cloudy at that.
But something else was in the air. It began gradually, almost below the threshold of perception, but little by little it increased in volume: a strange, disturbing, somehow sorrowful sound that grew on the minds of the party, urging them to move toward its point of origin. Edward, Merovech and Liulf managed to keep their heads, but Clothilde, Isembard, Childeric and Yvonne were drawn forward, toward . . . the tree!
Edward cast dispel magic, but the strange behavior of his followers was unchanged. He then tried to give a potion of remove curse to Isembard. Tried–and failed! Isembard refused to accept the potion, but acted as if Edward weren’t even present.
The three remaining party members began to take action, casting spells of protection and strengthening on themselves. Edward, looking carefully ahead, noticed a mangy-looking wolf lurking near the strange tree, but nothing else that could explain the situation. Then Edward detected an evil presence nearby . . . .
Just then, from either side of the party, five vines advanced aggressively toward them! One of the vines flailed wildly at Yvonne. Another struck at Edward, but missed the mighty paladin. Edward swung back and shredded one of the plants. Merovech cast scorching ray, burning three others but, amazingly, failing to destroy them. Then two of the plants struck Yvonne and Isembard. The two followers took substantial damage, and even more ominously, seemed to grow less energetic.
"Energy drain?" thought Edward. "Evil presence. Aggressive attacks. Unnatural toughness." He swiftly came to a startling conclusion. "Undead plants?" What kind of nonsense was this? But all evidence pointed to just such an unnatural phenomenon. "Then let us see how they stand against the power of Hieroneous!" The paladin proceeded to attempt to turn undead.
The power of Hieroneous flowed through Edward and into the plants. All four remaining vines shriveled into husks and collapsed, inanimate.
But the four followers who had been affected by the strange song continued, oblivious of all else in their environment, heading toward the strange tree. Edward, Merovech and Liulf continued after them. Edward noticed that the sickly wolf had disappeared. He also noted that the weather had become cloudy and rainy. Just like that.
About 60 feet from the strange tree, Merovech spotted another mysterious figure observing the party from behind the tree. It appeared to be a female of some kind. A strangely beautiful female. Emphasis on "strange."
"What are you doing on my island?" she called out to the party, in an angry, almost paranoid voice. "Can’t a girl get any peace and quiet around here?"
"I wasn’t aware that this was your island," replied Edward warily. He eyed the strange girl, in the dark distance. Although beautiful, she seemed to be rather underfed. Almost skeletal, in fact.
Skeletal?
Edward continued, "I am aware, however, that you have captured my followers!"
The girl screamed back, "I haven’t captured any of your followers! And I see what your friends are doing!" She pointed to Merovech and Liulf, who continued to advance toward her.
"Release my followers immediately," demanded Edward.
"I’ll show you!" she shrieked. At that instant, the strange tree lashed out at Edward! Three branches struck like whips. One slammed into the paladin, and he was seriously wounded. And Edward felt energy being drained from his body. But worse than the loss of energy was the sudden loss of all of his protective spells, as the enraged girl dispelled all the magic he had previously cast upon himself!
"A beautiful, skeletal spell-caster?" thought Edward. "A nymph lich??!! What madness have we come upon here?" Meanwhile, Merovech had come to a similar conclusion regarding the nature of the now-animated tree as Edward had concerning the attacking vines. He cast greater disrupt undead at the tree, and it shivered as the spell struck it, doing serious damage to its undead trunk and branches. Liulf, hanging back, cast dancing lights to provide illumination to the party.
The tree now did something even more bizarre than lashing out at Edward: it suddenly turned gaseous and fled the battle!
"A vampiric tree??!!" exclaimed Edward. Was there no end to the violations of the natural order that were to be encountered on this island?
But the angry girl provided yet another example of unnatural powers, as she suddenly transformed into a the shape of a wolf–a sickly, corrupted, undead wolf, but recognizably the same wolf that Edward had previously spotted from afar! The wolf began to retreat from the party, but Edward decided to attempt to negotiate with the creature. His diplomatic ability persuaded the transformed being to sit and listen.
The gaseous cloud that had previously been the strange tree now turned into a dire bat, which proceeded to fly away into the darkness and rain. The corrupted wolf-shape blurred and shifted, and became the strange girl. She spoke.
"Maybe I was a bit hasty," she began. Her skeletal beauty began to have an effect on the party, Edward included. "I am Triinu, and I don’t get many visitors here, certainly few like you. Can we come to some kind of, ah, arrangement?"
"Very well. Let’s talk," replied Edward. "First, release my followers."
"I can’t do that," Triinu told him. "You’ll have to get the night twist to do that, since it was the one whose song drew your followers to itself."
Edward ordered Merovech to tie up the ensorcelled four, who continued to move obliviously. "Does this influence wear off?" he asked. "Only by powerful magic can you remove the effect," answered Triinu. "Limited wish or better. Or, if you can kill the night twist, then its power over your followers will be ended as well."
On further questioning, Triinu revealed that the night twist’s bat-shape would only last until dawn, when it would revert to its natural – or unnatural – tree-form. Edward then changed the direction of his questioning. He described the quarry he and his party had been pursuing: the Ravagers. Had Triinu seen them or heard report of them?
"I haven’t seen such a band, but some of my animal friends noticed a group such as you described." She advised Edward that the band had been reported heading south, off to the west of her island. No fortified areas were in the vicinity, only islets and small groves.
The party decided to remain encamped for the night, keeping an eye on Triinu all the while. Edward cast restoration on Liulf, removing the negative levels he had incurred during the recent battle. Next morning, Yvonne and Isembard managed to shake off the negative levels inflicted by the undead vines. Edward summoned his griffon mount and ordered it to search for the fugitive night twist. The griffon immediately departed, searching the swampy areas around Triinu’s island. After a lengthy search, the griffon spotted the strange tree, and managed to avoid coming under its malign influence. Returning to camp, it reported to Edward the location of the night twist.
The party thanked Triinu for her cooperation, and then marched off in the direction of the night twist. This time, when they approached within its area of influence, they all managed to avoid falling under its power. Immediately, Edward flew to the undead tree and laid hands upon it! The power of Hieroneous flowed from Edward into the night twist, which could do nothing to resist. It shriveled and fell to a heap of corrupted wood chips. But as it died, Edward felt it trying to lay its dying curse upon him. Fortunately, Edward’s powerful will was sufficient to keep the curse from afflicting him. So ended the threat of the vampiric plants of the Mistmarsh.
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