Raven Wood

Raven wood (or ravenwood)

Approx. Level: 15

Many hundreds of years ago, the woods east the Elhanni now called Raven Wood were known as a warm green glen, beloved of druids, wanderers, and animals alike. But then humans became interested in the nearby mountain caves, delving deep in search of copper. In time, war came to the nations of humans, and the mine became a key prize in their useless struggles.

A fierce battle was fought, both by the armies of men below, and their powerful wizard-kings above, for the wizard-kings knew that within the mine lay more than copper, that deep within the mine, in a hidden cavern of crystal, floated a magical gem; a gem whose powers were only known in lore and fable. The gem imbued its cavern with such a field of energy that the spells cast there gained strength tenfold, and harnessing its power, powerful wizards could even peer into the future.

Most would see no difference between King Lokyhen and his foe; after all, both were humans, both wizards, both kings. But Lokyhen was a good man, if indeed there were many at that time, and strove for peace. Under cover of magical darkness, he snuck into the mine, under control by his enemy, and used the gem to foresee the things to come. He saw two visions that night. On the one hand, he was defeated, his lands laid waste and his people enslaved as the power of the gem gave the victor the ability to summon being out of mist. But on the other hand, to his surprise, he saw that if he grew victorious, the gem's power would overwhelm him, warp him in a quest for more magic, and bend him to evil!

Troubled, he called council with Ghadl Savan, his mortal foe, sharing the tale of his visions. Outraged that Lokyhen could use them gem without his notice, the evil wizard stormed away, swearing to defend the gem as his own. Resolving upon a course of action, that being the utter destruction of the gem, Lokyhen took a band of a score of his best fighters and endeavored to steal the gem from the depths of the mines.

But Savan awaited, a legion of his most loyal guards hidden in the dark shafts of the mine. Seeing the trap unfold, Lokyhen hurried to confront his nemesis. Although victorious, Lokyhen's cries of victory were silenced by the whispers of the evil archmage's dying curse, engulfing the glen with a noxious green mist, flooding the mine with the sludge which grew from his lifeblood.

The gem answered the curse, twisting it as its own, transforming Lokyhen and his men into ravens, trapped for all time, or for as long as the gem's power remained. And, buried deep beneath the writhing souls of a legion of undead guards, the gem appeared safe for eternity; however it was also doomed to be alone. The evil within the gem cried out for a master, and who knows yet what evil awaits in the forgotten depths of the mine.

Getting there: From the Elhanni troll bridge, swim up the river (be careful, inadvertently going onto the Savannah will lead to a quick death for lowbies). High swim needed. 'climb boulder' when you can go no further.

Mobs Pops Notes:
 * ravens ~1k xp, pops raven feathers
 * white raven ~4k xp, pops white raven feathers
 * Lokyhen (raven king) ~13k xp
 * mossy skeletons ~5k xp
 * skeleton captain
 * tiny red gems
 * tiny green gems
 * raven feathers, white raven feathers
 * bird feet
 * Bring fire, since it's effective on both the undead and birds
 * the feathers are used to make the feathered headdress at kha-da witch, which is a good mage item
 * diving into the lake by the skeleton captain finds a chest, needs a thief to open