The Dark Grove

http://spires.pixel-realms.net/forums/showthread.php?tid=2429

Attendees: 6 planned
Fluff: The group goes inside a desolated part of the cave between Gaiar Aetherius and Ardent Cliff. Finding the secret passage, they discover that there is plunder awaiting for them inside, however, it is guarded by a giant wyrmlike snake, along with a few minions of it.
Duration: Medium (6~8 hours)
Risk: Highly Dangerous (Repeated permanent nerfs, stupidity or repeated misdeeds may lead to death, general rule of: 1 for permanent nerf, 2-3 for temporary nerfs, 4-5 for nerf for the event duration, 6 for nothing)
Synopsis: The group gets into the cave. As a starter, they should use any source of lighting, but I’m fairly confident that a few of those are users of Holy magic which shouldn’t be a problem. Not using it might end with some consequences further on.

Deeper inside the cave, the group will find the remains of wild animals that dared to wander closer to the dark woods that grow inside that dark place on earth, corrupted with occult to the point where it’s rather similar to the dreadwoods.

They can follow the trail of dead bodies, or they can just keep going straight from the entrance. They will have to somehow find the home of the Wyrm, and following the trails of bodies would be the easiest way.

If they do not follow the trail of bodies, the group will end up finding one of the corrupted animals that are within the whole darkened woods. A discrete random number will be gotten from random.org, which will change whether it is a shadowflame dire wolf or an earth dire boar (Both melee)

The more time they spend out there, they might have the opportunity to gather some Ebony at the cost of another attack, although I believe the group will choose not to since no occultists are helping them as far as the group has been formed.

When the group enters the cave, they will find that most of the animal’s dead bodies end there, and not even bones continue from further. Rats and cockroaches infest the ground, consuming upon the bones and rotten meat of the animals left behind.

They shall find the giant snake feasting on a much bigger animal, a giant rhinoceros. The snake is fairly damaged, yet it still is able to combat them, although it is too busy consuming his prey to pay any attention to them. Should they use their surprise advantage, the fight shall become a little bit easier.

After they’re able to defeat it, the group can proceed to skin the giant rhinoceros or remove its horn, before moving on towards the inside of the cave, where the snake has fled to when it ran away from the fight.
In the middle of the new area, the snake will have put a pool of venom for it to pass through. The group will have to work some way through it, lest they risk being poisoned. ( Should they do wrong, 1-2 = 12-day temp, 3-5 = 4-day temp)

After the pool, they can see the glittering gold that the wyrm so hard tried to protect. It was mostly the result of stealing from nearby places, and it’s mostly composed of a pile of bodies. Some of these, however, have trinkets or gold with them, a small pile of gold being on the other side of the gigantic reptile.

Defeating the snake, the group is able to skin it for the final materials, its own skin easily peeled off. Its fangs come with the venom sacs, and with this, the group is free to roam outside once again and make its way out.

They still have the chance of being attacked on their way out, should they linger around for too much. The major predator of this microbiome was just slain, and with that, the balance of things is about to change, and the animals around hunger for blood.

Rewards:
2 Snake’s Skin (+Water def/pow, material)
2 Snake’s Fang+Venom sac (+Poison def/pow, material)
1 Mana Absorption Gem (material, usage up for blacksmith, but basically absorbs mana to some extent, like a battery.)
Gold? About 2k coins, perhaps? (pls tell if approved this part, unsure how much damage would be done on the economy by this)

Optional Rewards:
1 Ebony Wood (+Dark def/pow, material) OR 1 Giant rhinoceros Horn/Skin (material)