An Audience with Melandru

At the heart of Melandru's Grove, there is a statue of Melandru that is rarely visited. One night, as the party is in the guildhall, a wicked flare is seen above the lake. The next morning, they see that the stream from the lake has turned from its normal crystal clear water to dark green. Upon reaching the lake, they see the statue has been corrupted by some force, as the trees nearest the lake have turned from their regular verdant green to a pale gray... with the wood turned... white?

A nature check reveals where they've seen these kinds of trees before... The Grove of Bones.

"Sad isn't it..." a humanoid figure steps out from the trees. A [being] stands before them, with pale blue skin and features almost elven. An elf, ranger, or druid recognize, or at least rationalize that before them stands a Druid.

"Melandru.... the mother weeps. Brave adventurers, I beseech thee, wouldst thou help free this place from the wicked grasp that drags it to ruin?"

"Then come now, adventurers, I shall open a portal to the Feywild, that we may cleanse the evil there."

She prays to the statue, beseeching the goddess to open the way for them. As she does so, a green light begins to swirl around the party, after a few seconds, they find themselves standing in another forest, this one much more corrupted than the grove. As they come to, undead creatures rush them. Once the dust has settled from the fight, Autumn calls out "Mother, where art thou. What being has caused this?" The wind rushes past, a whisper "above." As they see a pale dragon-like figure, its wings without web, its bones without flesh. In its mouth is a large humanoid, Brown skin, with leaf-like hair and tattered branches for wings.

If any of them know anything of Tyria, they know this to be Rotscale, Khilbron's Dragon. And in his mouth, is the goddess, Melandru.

NOTE: BE VERY CAREFUL TO NOT NUKE THE PARTY WITH THE DRACOLICH!!! (unless they ask for it)

"oh no.... no no no no no..."

The dragon passes by, seemingly without noticing you.

Autumn tells the party that they cannot hope to fight him, but they need to cast him out.

If the party does not have any banishment spells of their own, Autumn calls out to Melandru for aid once more. "I can cast out the beast, child, but I am yet weak. I ask thee, wilt thou lend thy aid? Then seek the Dream Flowers. By nourishing them, my strength I will receive."

The Dream Flowers

At 4 corners of the woods lie great flower buds. Spring to the west, Summer to the north, Autumn to the east, and Winter to the south. As they open each of the flowers, a druid emerges, save the Autumn one, for obvious reasons.

Fall

The party begins in the autumn woods. Autumn leads them deeper a short way, finding a large flower, riddled with holes and beginning to wilt. Autumn jumps into the middle of the flower, and begins an aria. The party watches as the flower mends and heals, and Autumn's pale skin [to turn pink, her hair and clothes orange.]

Spring

The trees to the west appear budding anew, though some appear singed, as though a small fire had caught hold, but extinguished before too much damage was done. The Spring Flower is yet a pale bud, still growing to bloom. Autumn begins to sing to the bud, as its growth accelerates. But as she begins singing, the dracolich swoops overhead, and from his claws drops a small army of undead. The party must defend her, lest the ritual be interrupted and the flower lost. After 4 rounds, the ritual completes, and the flower begins to bloom. Autumn then joins the fight against the undead. Once the fight is over, Autumn turns back to the flower, as the petals part, releasing a being similar to Autumn, though [instead of Autumn's orange.] This is verdant druid, Viren.

Summer

The trees in the north are sparse and frail, the soil under them a marsh. As the party trudges through the swamp, they find another bud, appearing to be beginning to wither. Autumn and Viren begin their chorus, as demons (see:Random Events, Abaddon's forces) rise from the swamp to fight them. After 4 rounds, the flower grows whole once more. Once the remaining demons are dealt with, a pale figure steps out of the flower. As his gaze levels at the sorry trees around him, a light bursts forth from him, as his pale is replaced with [yellow], and the trees spring up with strength anew. This is Aidan, druid of Godslost Swamp.

Winter

The south woods lie in a sorry state, dried pines, their trunks blanched white, dot the landscape. "Oh... Bitra..." cries Autumn, as Viren tries to comfort her. Aidan draws his sword with fury "This will not stand! We are Melandru's Chosen! Foul Wyrm, Khilbron, ye devil, I will grow a tree from your rotten heart!" Undead lumber throughout the woods, as Aidan cuts them down with a vengeance. The party can join in the fighting if they wish. Do not make it real combat, but they do so.

As they reach the heart of the woods, they find a patch of soil, a dried, dead flower atop it. Autumn again goes to tears, as Viren says to her, "New life always blooms from the winter's cold. She will recover, Autumn, though this may take more effort than myself or Aidan. The undead continues to shamble from the woods, as the Druids begin to sing. Once the undead are cut down, the party watches as they sing for what feels like hours, as a small sprout breaks soil, growing quickly into a bud, and it blooms, as a frail, pale figure steps out. This is Bitra, Druid of the Grove of Bones.

Hearing the Eladrin's song, the party finds their wounds mended, their strength returned. They gain the benefits of a long rest.

Banishing the Dragon

A loud sound erupts from the middle of the woods. Viren calls the party over to him, as he casts Transport via Plants pulling them back to the center of the woods, where a new tree has grown. The tree bursts forth into the upper torso of a woman. Rotscale flies towards this new tree, sending the withered corpse of Melandru to the ground. Melandru begins casting a spell, calling out to the party to defend her as she begins casting a spell to cast the dragon from her realm. The dragon dives for her, as the Eladrin begin to cast another spell, as mighty branches erupt from the earth, pinning the beast to the ground.

At this point, the dracolich is at half health, with his legendary resistances burned. He still has use of his actions, but his speed is limited to 10.

As the dragon is weakened, Melandru's posture changes. "No, I will not cast this thing back to the mortal plane. It shall rest in this forest's soil. Finish him, young heroes!" As a ray of light slams the beast, a gem becomes visible in the dragon's eye. Smashing the gem destroys Rotscale, removing him and the undead from the Feywild.

"Well done, brave heroes. Through your actions this day, you have saved us, neigh, the multiverse, from the dragon's threat. Take with thee this blessing."