The Fifth Eclipse: Session 15 - Stags and apples

Party: Wenceslas, Vholanthus Sumquaes, The Captain, Robrigo Sombri, Rusko Rohtzhane
(And eventually, Daisy and Claudia make an appearance too)

As the group follows the stag through the forest, Jim expresses his worries about the party's safety. The Captain and Wenceslas reassure him all will be good, pointing to the resounding success in defeating the ambushing bandits.
With Vholanthus in the lead, the stag gets cornered on a cliff that highlights Vertange in the distance among golden fields of grain. As the group approaches it, a loud squack and a massive parrot spell trouble for Wenceslas, who (together with the others) defeats the avian menace and discovers an embedded runestone.
With the knowledge gained in recent adventures, he recognizes the rune as one of 'Growth'.

The bachelor gets to shoot the cornered stag, which sets off a forest guardian to strike out at the party for spilling blood on his 'sacred ground'. As he does so, a massive bone lion emerges and triggers a quake that collapses the ground underneath most of the group, so the creature can focus solely on combat with the wild-shaped druid Vholanthus.
The rest of the group falls through the broken crust of the hill, revealing a ruined complex starting with an almost caldera-like paved structure containing various dryadic individuals composed of all sorts of rotting or poisonous plants that seem quite bent on striking mortal blows and. The forest guardian lays into the party and draws blood from many of the heroes, before their concerted efforts eliminate it.

The lodestone compass Wenceslas carries with him points down and with a certainty that was not there before, he realizes that the Elfhame of Mag Meli lies underneath the ruins that he stands on, a revelation and accompanying clarity of mind also connects him to the very essence of the corrupted growth that seems to have brought it to the brink of ruin.

Finishing the stag hunt by collecting the head of the stag, the men head to meet up with the ladies.
As Wenceslas has arranged for 'reliably fake bandits', the groups meet up when these attempt to 'kidnap' Abdelaide.
The bandits are run off by Jim before a ball masqué closes out the evening, with people putting keys in a bowl in order to discover whom they will be spending the evening with, all the while trying to guess whom they will get paired with and making subtle hints as to what their key looks like to those they seem to be drawn to...