The Fallen Tree

The Fallen Tree

(part 2 of three)

Prologue

Treebeard stepped out of the Inn and into the darkness of night. He had

been sleeping on his cot until just a few moments ago when he was

awakened by a yearning to go … somewhere. He had taken up his staff

of chain lighting and quietly left the Inn. Now he stood silently, head

bowed as if waiting for someone to tell him where he must go. Then he

set off towards the fissure that had recently opened in this cursed town

of Tristram. A fissure that led down to the depths of Hell itself. As he

approached it, smelling the brimstone thick in the air, a red portal

opened before him. Without pausing and with no look of surprise on his

young face he stepped inside the glowing doorway. He emerged to find

himself standing in almost total darkness and facing a huge dark Knight.

"Follow", the Knight said, though Tree heard nothing.

A small part of Tree was terrified by these things that were happening to

him, he tried to understand what would posses him to go into the portal

and now meekly follow this minion of Diablo. For he knew that the

Knight must answer to the Dark Lord himself. And then, suddenly, all

thought left Tree as he looked up and into the face of Diablo…

"You are mine! I will give you a small taste of my power, then send you

to do my bidding."

Diablo said, with no words at all. Just by placing his clawed hands on

Tree's face he imparted this information into what was left of Tree's

mind. For with seeing Diablo grinning before him, Tree's mind had run

away. Going ever deeper into himself in his attempt to flee Diablo.

"My Guild is dying!" Dora said, as she cried softly into her hands that

covered her strong and beautiful face. "This dark Tree is killing us all!"

Three days had passed since I had stood in front of Tree's empty coffin,

after it had thrust itself up from the ground to open before me. Dora, one

of three leaders of our guild, had summoned me to her but moments

before. I wanted to tell her that all would be well. That this evil would be

purged from us and we would need think of it no longer. But I did not

believe this lie, thus I could not speak it.

"My Queen. What would you have me do? I have searched for

Treebeard, but always I am too late. He seems to know that I am

coming even before I receive word of where he has last struck."

Somehow Tree, since his resurrection, had gained great powers indeed.

Where before Olwe and Lumpkin had been able to stop him, now it

seemed as though there was none in the guild with the power to slay

Tree.

Two nights before, the first deaths had taken place. Olwe and Lumpkin

had been on their way back from Odgen's Tavern when a fiery blast that

seemed to come from hell itself had consumed them. All that had been

left was their melted armor smoking on the ground and a small branch of

an olive tree totally untouched by the fire. We were later to learn that this

was a "calling card" of Tree's. For he had sent another such branch to

the Guildhall attached to the head of Bard. Along with a note written in

blood that read "Now you die! Now you will all die!"

He had signed it, Tree the Slayer of Fools. The next night seven more

guild members lay dead. All killed by Tree. If someway was not found

to defeat him, the guild would be no more very soon.

Dora looked up at me, wiped the tears from her face and said, " You

must journey to the north and find Palantiri a powerful mage and

Agarwaen a warrior of great strength. These are the two greatest fighters

of our guild. I hope that they will have the power to defeat Tree. And I

pray that we survive until your return!" With a bow to my Queen, I set

out on my task.

Elfsheen, the most beloved and bravest of all the Sisters that were in the

Guild, looked up and into the face of Treebeard, The Dark. She stood

before Glamdring, a new warrior to the guild and was prepared to give

her life to protect him. She and Glamdring had been in the caves near

Tristram searching for some magic amulets or rings in the hopes that they

would gain the ability to better defend the guild against the attack of

Tree. They had just finished searching the closest level of the caves to

town and were preparing to walk down the steps to the next level, when

Tree had appeared before them. He had said nothing. Then with a small

smile upon his lips, he had sent a wall of fire towards Elf and Glam. They

jumped and ran towards the right side of the cave in hopes of putting

one of the large stalagmites between themselves and Tree. They almost

made it. Suddenly Tree was in front of them again and blasted them both

with chains of white lighting. Elfsheen quickly brought up her bow and

shot arrows into Tree until she died. Glamdring had tried to charge at

Tree, but had been knocked back by the force of the lighting and had

died at almost the same moment as Elfsheen.

Tree walked over to the dead bodies of Elfsheen and Glamdring and

blasted them with fire 'til there was nothing but scorched rock to show

where they had lain. Then he whispered a few words and an olive

branch appeared beside the black spot on the floor of the cave. Turning

around, and casting a red portal before him, Tree walked away humming

a child's lullaby.

Dora, MordorBound, and Sting, the three leaders of the Guild, stood

before what remained of the Guildhall. Cain had summoned them from

their homes at the edge of town just moments before when he had seen

the Hall burning. There had been no noise to alert him to the power of

the blast that had hit the Hall. He had been standing beside the fountain

in the center of town when he had become aware of a great heat coming

from the direction of the Guildhall. He had turned and been shocked to

see that the Guildhall of The Keepers of The Fellowship was burning.

Screaming for help he had raced to the Hall. He could not get close

enough to even see if anyone was left alive, let alone be able to try to

save them. Within a few moments the Hall was gone, all that was left

was the rock fireplace that had stood in the center of the Hall.

"I am sorry, my friends. I wish that there was something I could do to

help you all." Cain said to the three leaders. " I will pray for the safe

passage of Shadowfax and his swift return with Palantiri and Agarwaen."

Almost half of the guild members were now known to be dead. Five

were missing and were surely dead also. The three leaders had searched

everywhere for Tree, hoping to find him and end this madness. But not a

sign of him could they find.

"Thank you, my friend." Dora said and reached out to clasp Cain's hand.

"I will pray that prayer also. It would seem that is all we have left to do."