Curse of the Dark Grove

Curse of the Dark Grove is an adventure made for a party of three to five adventurers of 5th to 6th level and is optimized for four adventurers with an average party level (APL) of 6. A band of mages have corrupted the Shimmering Forest and it's guardians, the Dryad Court. The Dryad Queen and her corrupted subjects are now attacking any who enter the forest. This adventure has been written using the Freelands campaign setting but is designed to fit into any setting with only a few changes. 

Background

Ashenvale, a city on the outskirts of the Shimmering Forest, has had reports of travelers disappearing at an alarming rate. Those who make it to the city tell tales of strange creatures, twisted trees, and that the forest, a once bright and beautiful place, has grown dark and somber. The birds have stopped singing and small animal life has all but disappeared. 

A band of wizards called the Circle of Five have been trying to harness the power of the elemental plane of chaos. They are siphoning energy through a small rift they opened in their secret underground complex in the Verdant Hills near the Shimmering Forest. Using the local flora and fauna of the forest in their experiments, they have created horrifying creatures by infusing them with chaos. They grew greedy in their lust for power and entered the rift, unknowingly causing it to rip and tear at the very fabric of reality behind them. The chaos has been seeping into the forest, slowly corrupting everything it touches over the last few months, including the Dryad Queen and the Mother Tree. The forest is now seething with corrupted creatures that are attacking any who dare enter.