A Heart of Stillness and Wood

Ah, welcome! I was starting to wonder who would show up once I felt the iron had been purged! Any energy seal would have failed instantly if the magic in the air still had corrupted iron in it.

I am Daniel the Scholar, and I try to keep the peace down here. The decay we are fighting isn't just wild magic, it is Caligo, a living malice that has consumed the Arcon, the ancient guardian of this hollow.

Caligo wants to destroy the cycle of life. We cannot banish the corrupted beasts from these tunnels today, but we can protect the roots beneath them. I must cast an invisible Stasis Seal to halt the decay and hide our home from Caligo's gaze.

I need catalysts to weave the ward. Gather 30 Cursed Dolls and 20 Duskmander Tails. Will you help us secure our home?

You have a truly kind spirit. Once you have gathered the catalysts, bring them straight to me. Be careful in the deep chambers. The malice is heavy there.

You brought the catalysts! Stand back, my friend. I will channel their dormant energy into the soil to weave the ward.

...The Stasis Seal holds! The hollow looks exactly the same, and the beasts will still wander... but place your hand on the soil. Do you feel it? The roots have stopped rotting. Caligo can no longer sense us here.

The Arcon and Caligo still lurk in the abyss, and one day we must face them. But thanks to you, we have halted the collapse. We have hope.