The Druids of the Wood

The party a location to search for the piece of red ironwood and the name of a contact at the logging camp, Yursov, who runs the operation in the Neverwinter Woods.

 They head back to the tower district mill, follow the lumber hauler with no load, heading to the logging camp. The cart driver, Nat, is quite talkative, telling the group all about how this logging company is the biggest in the area. It is owned by Lord Traskel and is named Great Boar Logging Company. The Foreman, Yursov the Dwarf is sharp and brokes no nonsense on the job. He goes on to say the locals in the woods are less than pleased to have the operation cutting down trees. The main opponents of the logging are the local druidic circle, The Circle of the Woods, and their leader, Nighthawk. There have previously been a few skirmishes between the groups, with neither group gaining ground.

 As the talking continues, the party smells smoke, Grallaack launches into the air, and Pickle, Caine, and Abel follow at full speed to the edge of a clearing that is on fire!

 A huge fight is happening; the lumberjacks are fending off a huge group of diverse animals and a few people. They seem to be in great trouble until Yursov the Dwarf driving a machine with legs and saws for hands stomps up and attacks the animals. It turns out that Yursov is a human with dwarfism. Seconds later, a large bear suddenly takes the hybrid form of a werebear and attacks the machine. These two juggernauts go at it, with the loggers and the animals battling it out. 

The party decides to jump in and help the Druid and the animals win the day, which they do; after the colossal logging machine is destroyed, the animals chase down any of the loggers who run, and the giant wear bear turns back to a man to talk with the party. He is grateful for the help and offers to take them to his camp and talk. The party scavenges one gold ring, two silver rings, two copper rings, six axes, two sweetheart lockets, and six letters from sweethearts. The rest of the camp is burning, and the forest seems to keep the flames contained in this area.

 At the camp, Nighthawk formally introduces himself to the party. They make introductions and then ask about the Red ironwood. Nighthawk claims to know where this rare tree grows but tells the group that the area is full of vile undead roaming freely like a plague. He suggests that the group should head to a crypt in the area, as it seems to be the source of the issue. He does tell the group that this crypt was constructed to honor the family Bladesmith, who all gave their lives to avenge a death in the family but ultimately failed to kill the bloodthirsty creature that had caused them so much pain. The last living member of the family, Ruarc, is said to have been forced to fight his younger brother in a faraway place while this evil creature looked on. Ruarc stole back the blade and jumped through a magical door before his brother or the creature of darkness could stop him. Using the sword, he destroyed the doorway. He arrived in the footsteps of his ancestral home and died before ever knocking on the door. The next time, the party headed to The Spooky Old Crypt.