Isolde, thought that perhaps Akara may know something more about the stones, seeing as how she is an elder and has been around longer than any remaining sister; so, tired from our battles, we made our way back to camp.

After a nights rest, and some food to sate my hunger, I sought Akara's expertise of the area to see if she knew of the stones. She let out a sigh as she shook her head in disappointment; she said she knows of them and until recently she, nor the sisters, knew anything of their origin. But, from her research during the events of Tristram she learned their purpose. She discovered that the stones themselves act as a portal to Tristram; she rejoiced at her findings! For the journey to Tristram from the Monastery was long. Sending support to fight the demons was exhausting all their resources, yet, now they would be able to send aid in an instant without worry of the supplies needed for a strenuous trek! However, her joy quickly turned to misery as she learned that the method to activating the stones power lie hidden in the secrets of the bark of a long lost tree, The Tree of Inifuss.

The sisters sent many rogues searching for the tree, but their efforts were ultimately futile as many never returned and those who did spoke only of the savage beasts the dwell within the Dark Wood. And now this, their citadel overthrown by the demoness Andariel and their numbers dwindling. If the sisters can hardly defend themselves how can they afford to send scouts to find the tree, let alone help any survivors of Tristram?

She let out another long sigh... She says there is a man who lived in Tristram, a name I have heard around the camp... Deckard Cain, who many be one of our only sources of hope in defeating these demons, if he even still lives. He is a Horadric scholar and he may have valuable knowledge regarding these recent events and the monsters we are facing. She seemed regretful to ask, but she thinks perhaps if I can somehow succeed where the rogues could not, find the tree, and bring her some of its bark that she could decipher the ancient script hidden within it. I could then activate the stones, travel to Tristram, and search for Cain.

The plan is damned, but if this man Cain does truly know what is happening then we mustn't fail. Let us hope that he still lives.

Before I embarked on my quest to find the lost tree, Akara told me one last piece of knowledge; the only way to get to the Dark Wood from the encampment is through a winding cave network simply known as the Underground Passage.

This must be it. I fear this may be the last time I see the light of day for awhile.



A fork in the path... This cave reeks of death with demons lurking in every shadow.



Every moment I spend within these stone walls, I feel my sanity slipping and my paranoia blossoming. Nevertheless, I push on; I must find my way to the Dark Wood.

At last, light seeps through the darkness to find me.



It was a New Moon when I left the camp, and now on the day of the First Quarter Moon, I have found The Tree of Inifuss. It's appears dead, still it flows with energy. Blessed child of Glór-an-Fháidha, I sensed your spirited and you called to me.



Grant me your gift, and I swear I will purge this corruption from your lands.

Come Isolde, we must hurry to Akara.

Wow bro nice wt definitely gonna follow your journey

With haste we made our way back to Akara to make sense of this secret language.

She seemed just as astonished to see us alive as she was to hear that we had found the tree. As she began to tell us how she had nearly given up hope she stopped herself, took the bark from my hand, and began pouring over a book she pulled from her robes.

She worked through the night and all through the following day. Impatiently, and without a word spoken, we watched as she carefully transcribed each crack and each blemish of the bark into instructions. In the early hours of the third day she burst into my tent, she gave me the transcribed instructions and a scroll and said "GO. NOW. If Cain still lives give him the scroll, he'll know what to do."

Without delay Isolde and I were gone, making our way back to the stones.



As fast as I could I read over the instructions, following them meticulously, touching each stone in the correct order and uttering the proper incantations. With a sudden thunderous BANG, lighting struck each stone and rebounded between them. The lightning seemed to course through us but it caused no sensation.

Before our very eyes, in the center of the stones a red portal opened. Before another moment passed, we rushed headlong in.



Thrown into the ruins of Tristram, we had forgone caution. Demons swarmed as we fought our way through the ruins checking for survivors. As we approached the center of town Isolde noticed someone, unmoving, suspended in a cage attached to a gibbet. In an act of desperation we charged for the cage. Isolde called out but received no reply. Unwilling to give into doubt, we forced our way to the cage. Isolde called out once more "CAIN?" and this time a voice answered "hhhh...hel...help...HELP!"

Isolde shot the rope suspending the cage and it crashed to the ground. The door of the cage burst open as Cain fell forward out of his prison. Still surrounded by demons, I tossed Cain the scroll Akara had given me; I turned my gaze for only a moment and Cain was gone.

We finished our battle with the abomination and the demons that had surrounded us in our recklessness and searched for more survivors but there were none to be found.

With the ruins of Tristram cleansed and our mission completed, we headed back to the Rogue Encampment.

By the time we returned back to the camp, Cain had rested and regained some of his former strength. Unfortunately, the exultation we felt from the success of our mission was quickly soured with the news Cain had to share. He told us the tale of The Darkening of Tristram, the decline of the hero who had bravely slain Diablo and attempted to contain his soulstone within himself. It seems our greatest fears have come to be, Diablo's corruption was too strong for the warrior to resist and he is now a vessel for the Lord of Terror. Cain believes that the Dark Wanderer who passed through the East Gate was the very same hero of Tristram, and that soon Diablo will be released upon this realm once more with new found vigor.

Uileloscadh Mór is truly upon us.

The news quickly spread throughout the camp and with it, and overwhelming sense of dread.

But I refuse to succumb to fear. I will break whatever barriers lie in my path and Diablo is but another. There are those in town who share my resolve and will fight rather than fade into nothingness.

Charsi has asked me to retrieve her Horadric malice so that she may forge stronger equipment for the coming battles.

This post was edited by Kenorwox on Mar 16 2018 01:12pm

Cool cool, I hope you enjoy it

Nice writing, I wish I could write like this in English

With our minds still heavy in thought of recent news, we set out to bring the fight to the demons and reclaim the enchanted malice.

During our expedition to the Monastery we stumbled across the ruins of an old building. Within it was a tome which told the unsavory story of an evil countess who was buried alive in the halls of her own castle's dungeon. The castle has since fallen to ruin and all the remains is a solitary tower that raises above the foul dungeons below. Her prized collection of magical stones has never been found and the legend is that it still resides somewhere hidden within the foul dungeon guarded by the vile countess herself.

These magical stones the tome speaks of...could they be similar to the magic stones used for runework at the Túr Dúlra?

Isolde seems convinced it's a story of fiction, told to ward off children from adventuring into the crumbling ruins. Be that as it may, I would like to investigate this forgotten tower and Isolde knows its location.