Year 7 Day 117
Weather: Mild
Hexes Explore: None
Kesh, Satinder and the Numesti sisters ride out from Drelev. Sergei Sends a message to Elmsburg to forewarn them that The Nomen centaurs will pass through in the next few days. At Josiman’s request the message also contains instructions for “Elmo” the Awakened Elm tree to accompany the centaurs.
Kesh’s party arrives at noon. The Founders prepare to depart for White Rose Abbey. Tamary asks to accompany The Founders on the expedition. While Alex is in favor of Tamary’s presence King Aldous rules against it.
Using Wind Walk spells cast by Sergei and Josiman the Founders fly across Pitax at great speed to the area they believe White Rose Abbey to be. Because of this method of travel all Animal Companions are left behind.
White Rose Abbey proves easy to find as it is on a prominent hill. Several of The Founders sense supernatural forces at work in the region; the air seems thicker and hotter, the grasses of the Abbey’s grounds move as if blown by a phantom wind, a mysterious bell tolls and Willow-the-Wisps prowl the ruins. Lynessa deduces that the area is closer to The First World then is normal.
Entering the Abbey The Founders find a deadly welcome committee waiting for them consisting of a booby-trapped ceiling, were-rat assassins, a gigantic swarm of diseased rats and Pitaxian Wardens. After a hard-fought battle the Founders are victorious although all but Kesh have been infected with Filth Fever. The Founders manage to take two captives who claim that “The Poisonous Horn” does not exist and is only disinformation spread to lure the Founders to their deaths. Despite this The Founders decide to continue to explore The Abbey as, at the very least, it is the home of the water-sprite Evindra who is the guardian of Briar.
Exploring the abbey itself The Founders find grizzly signs of the murders that took place there long ago. They find a haunted room where an unseen force tries to slit their throats while in the wine cellar they are ambushed by willow-the-wisps.
Starting to explore the abbey grounds The Founders are puzzled to find the ruined remains of the bells at the bottom of the bell-tower even though they can still hear them tolling.
As they pass the graveyard on their way to investigate the well The Founders are attacked by a pair of massive shambling mounds that have been augmented by the remaining willow-the-wisps. The Founders have no sooner dealt with this new attack when they are set upon by the ghost of Yustavon, the hunched-backed, Halfling gardener who murdered the other monks at the abbey.
Exploring down the well The Founders find a partially flooded cave. In it are more willow-the-wisps who retreat when they discover they cannot hurt The Founders. Exploring the cave The Founders find the imprisoned nereid Evindra. Once released she agrees to tell them about Briar if they recover her stolen shawl.
The Founders search the remaining buildings associated with the abbey but find nothing of practical use and so teleport back to their forces outside of South Cross.