After being abandoned by her bodyguard, Faris continues on her search for the dragon skeleton in Mirinvern Forest.
We parted ways in the morning. Upon reaching the edge of Mirinvern Forest, I spotted the most beautiful deer I had ever seen. I cautiously approached. It seemed friendly enough, but stayed a little ahead of me, walking a bit, the pausing to see if I followed. It led me carefully through the forest, eventually leading me to a path.
Suddenly a branch swung out in front of me! I was being attacked by a living tree! I fought it off with some help from Richard, who swooped down and clawed at a branch.
There were more wondrous flowers here, some more dangerous than others, like the Dionea Fungus, a large carnivorous mushroom. While the leaves may be useful, I decided avoidance was a better approach. That wasn’t the only strange thing in the forest: I killed a giant spider that tried to eat me, then stumbled through thorny overgrowth and found a stone well with fresh water. There was even a clearing filled with gravestones dating back centuries. And then more living trees attacked me. I almost felt bad for killing them, what with being an invader on their land, but I’m also fond of living.
The next oddity was an iron gate in the middle of the forest. I considered picking the lock, but it was rusted over and wouldn’t budge. I looked for another way through, then climbed over the gate, cutting myself on some thorns in the process.
As I moved past the gate, I was astounded by the number of statues approaching a gargoyle-topped mausoleum. Then I noticed that my own feet felt heavier, turning to stone as I walked. I struggled to remain calm, then realized there was magic attacking my mind rather than my body. I regained control and the stone slowly dissolved.
Upon reaching the mausoleum, I realized the lock was an elaborate puzzle, well beyond my ability to repair and decode. Surprisingly, I was able to pick it. Inside, I descended into darkness along a set of stairs, then lit a lamp, revealing the bones of the ancient dragon, Frothaetinvid, and an altar dedicated to that dragon. Under the altar, I found a treasure chest which I bashed open, releasing a cloud of green gas to access some gold and treasure within. A fabulous dragon-shaped collar lay on the altar, so I placed it around my neck for safekeeping.