In the fourth cycle of Jena Year 2550, an outbreak of Goo and an infestation of Goo-contaminated Gibbaï overran much of the southern Verdant Heights, making it as far as the borders of the Matis towns Davae and Avalae. This outbreak turned out to be artificially created by an invasion force of Marauders working together with the Darkening Sap tribe.

Having failed in earlier attempts to take the southern Verdant Heights by brute force, this was probably the Marauders' most complicated invasion plan to date. Evidence suggests the Darkening Sap, traditional allies of the Matis, were enticed to cooperate with the prospect of new Goo technology, and later manipulated or forced to fight against the Matis.

The outbreak was eventually eradicated thanks to the efforts of an unnamed Darkening Sap member who betrayed the Marauders to bring their plans to the Matis (likely being killed in the process) and a Matis anthropologist who found these plans while studying the infected Gibbaï. And ofcourse the army of volunteers who banded together to defend the Verdant Heights.

Buildup

Buildup for this event began around Tuesday, 18 May, 2010.

Thermis, 4th Atysian Cycle, Jena Year 2550

It was in the last days of that cycle's summer that travellers coming from the Lakelands noticed the first unusual gatherings of Gibbaï in Heretics Hovel and southeastern Fleeting Garden. Though it did not seem to be anything more than unusually large numbers of Gibbaï at the time, some homins decided to investigate further.

Harvestor, 4th Atysian Cycle, Jena Year 2550

Once investigating homins found newly formed Goo eruptions as well as Goo-contaminated Gibbaï, a more general alarm was raised and detailed investigations were called for. Scouts quickly established that Goo contaminations were present in Upper Bog as well as in Heretics Hovel, and discovered the presence of Marauders collaborating with Darkening Sap far behind the Gibbaï infestations in both those regions. Though the Gibbaï were advancing northwards, the Goo contaminations had not yet advanced into Fleeting Garden.

Frutor, 4th Atysian Cycle, Jena Year 2550

An announcement was made on the official messageboards:

“

Deles Silam!

I, Zaero Stachini, Royal Anthropologist, wish to speak with Nobles and concerned Subjects on Holeth, Pluvia 6, 4th AC 2550 (JY) at 0h at the Royal Conservatory regarding the recent increase of the Gibbaï population in the Verdant Heights. Any freelancers wishing to share their expertise or volunteer their time are welcome to attend.

Zaero Stachini
Royal Anthropologist

  Official Website^[1]

Meanwhile scouts continued to observe how the Goo contaminations moved further and further northwards, spreading through the southern Fleeting Garden, driving the herds of Gibbaï in front of it.

Fallenor, 4th Atysian Cycle, Jena Year 2550

As the homins of the Verdant Heights awaited the announced meeting, the Goo contaminations made it all the way north to the crossroads between Davae and Avalae. Scouts discovered that the Marauders and their Darkening Sap allies had followed in the trail of the Gibbaï infestation by setting up a camp in Fleeting Garden, while further south the Goo seemed to be causing the infested Gibbaï to evolve into stronger mutations than had been witnessed before. Some homins took it upon themselves to start culling the infested Gibbaï, but generally made little headway.

Then winter came...

Part 1

This part of the event started at 20:00 GMT, Saturday, 22 May, 2010.

The meeting at the Conservatory

A meeting between Zaero Stachini, Royal Anthropologist, and all interested parties was held at the conservatory in Yrkanis. It was revealed that a torn note (above) was found near the Arena and that the Royal Anthropologist wished us to investigate the area to see if any more clues could be found. The search commenced and soon five pieces of parchment were found bringing more light to the mystery of the sudden Goo eruptions and the startling rise in the Gibbaï population in the south of Verdant Heights.

The five pieces of parchment seemed to imply that a certain potion had the ability to weaken the goo eruptions, luckily the recipe for this concoction had been scribbled down on two of the parchment pieces. The search party reconvened around Zaero Stachini, where she asked the large group to be split up and to go find the various materials needed to make the potion. The gathered homins estimated that at most 25 Goo mounds existed throughout the forest, thus enough materials would have to be gathered to create 25 specimens of the potion.

Part 1 of this event concluded with the various groups returning to the conservatory to hand in all the materials they had found. The Matisian anthropologist immediately began work on the potions thereafter.

The Parchments

Materials List

Control Potion

• Mix oil and sap.
• Compound moss and fiber.
• Soak compound in oil/sap mixture. Let cure for 5 days in dark, damp location.

• Grind shell, bone and hoof together.
• Mix with resin.
• Form into balls and let set for 3 days.

• Drain fluid from eyes and add flower and vedice sap if available.
• Mix cured oil and resin mixtures with eye fluid. Let set for 10 days.

Experiment Analyses

Smudged Journal Page

Torn Letter

Part 2

This part of the event started at 19:00 GMT, Sunday, 23 May, 2010.

Once she had finished making 25 vials of the control potion, Zaero Stachini met again with all interested volunteers in front of the Yrkanis Conservatory. It was quickly decided that one of the potions should first be tested on the nearest Goo eruption; the one near the crossroads in southern Majestic Garden. The assembled army of volunteers escorted the anthropologist there and made short work of the infected Gibbaï surrounding the eruption. Once the potion was poured onto the Goo, it visibly weakened, allowing the homins to destroy it completely using their normal weapons and elemental magics.

Against Goo and Gibbaï

Waiting for the potion to be poured over a Goo eruption

The potions' effectiveness now demonstrated, the army moved from Goo spot to Goo spot, wiping out infected Gibbaï and cleansing the forests of the Goo contamination. They had little difficulty, except when they passed the Marauder encampment in Fleeting Garden and decided to wipe them out in the process; the Marauders repelled the attack and scattered the army, which needed some time to reassemble before they decided to ignore the camp for now and focus on clearing the forest of Goo.

This scenario almost repeated itself when they encountered the Darkening Sap encampment in Upper Bog. Assuming them to be an easier battle than Marauders, the army attacked the camp and was once again defeated, but was able to retreat more organised this time.

For the rest of the day, they proceeded to clear out all Goo contaminations they encountered. By the time they had cleansed Upper Bog of Goo and were moving back into Fleeting Garden, the homins were wearing down and the battles with the infested Gibbaï were becoming more difficult. Fortunately they were reinforced again with fresh arrivals in Fleeting Garden, and were able to continue their work into Heretics Hovel until they reached a new problem: Their supply of potions ran out.

Clearly the homins had underestimated the amount of Goo infestations. They had cleansed out all but the most eastern strip of forest, but Goo contaminations yet remained in Kami Circle and Folly Plain. After quick deliberation it was decided that perhaps those responsible for the Goo infestations might keep some potions around just in case, and they would have to be 'retrieved' from them. Thus the army returned to the Marauder camp in Fleeting Garden where they had previously been defeated.

Battle against the Marauders

Organising itself carefully to lay siege this time, after repeated skirmishes the army managed to wipe out the Marauder camp, and did indeed find some potions lying around. They proceeded to march on both the Marauder and Darkening Sap encampments in Upper Bog and wiped them both out in the same way with little trouble, finding a few potions in each camp. With these potions, the Kami Circle was then cleansed of the Goo eruptions.

Finally, the weary army marched into the lair of the beast itself, the Darkening Sap main camp in Folly Plain. Here they came upon the thickest herds of Gibbaï they had yet encountered, but with great determination they quickly ploughed through them, until they reached the camp and immediately assaulted it. It took several failed attacks, retreats and regrouping, but eventually they conquered the Darkening Sap camp. Without their Darkening Sap allies, the Marauders camp next to it fell quickly and relatively easily, and the potions recovered from their camp were enough to clean the last Goo infestations from Heretics Hovel.

Aftermath

One potion was leftover, and taken by Zaero Stachini for further study. The homins met her with one more time in Yrkanis to receive her thanks, congratulations and a small reward before she disappeared back into her study. Following this expedition and the removal of all Marauders and Goo-contaminations from the Verdant Heights, the Darkening Sap seem to have returned to their usual policies.

References