The Harrowing Ordeal

At dawn, the tree spoke again:

Are you ready?

The challenge is unopposed.

Prepare to face the Harrowing Ordeal.

You must prove yourself in combat.

You must fight without the aid of others.

You must fight without the aid of potions that heal.

You must fight to the death.

If you do not follow these rules, you cannot become one of the One Hundred.

The tree grew to a gigantic size, and its bark twisted to form a horrifying face. It moved toward Carlagnios, sending splinters of wood through the air.

As it rose up, its roots burst through the surface of the ground, making it difficult for Carlagnios to move. One of its pods exploded, sending shrapnel at Carlagnios.

Carlagnios fought back, making a lunging strike at the tree and covering it with a breath of fire. Carlagnios' Jagged Great Axe was like a thicket of blades, cutting off three huge branches.

With each moment, Carlagnios struck at the tree with blow after blow, like a rain of steel on the limbs of the tree. The tree looked battered and half-beaten, but it still attacked Carlagnios.

Carlagnios could not continue to take damage from the tree, and he eventually fell unconscious. The tree smashed at Carlagnios continuously until no life was left in the Dragonborn's body.

Then, the tree spoke again:

He has given his life.

He need never fear death again.

He is now one of the One Hundred.

Your friend is a brave warrior.

You can now return him to life with pride.

And with that, the tree shrunk down and became a regular tree.

Kale and Tiny took the day to cast the ritual that raised Carlagnios from the dead. He was now alive but felt quite weak.

"Am I alive?"

"Yes," replied Kale. "We raised you. Might I remind you that the reagents for this ritual are quite expensive?"

Carlagnios sagged. "All I have is my part of the gold chain." He handed it to Kale, who proceeded to melt it down into ingots.

"Am I one of the 100? Am I immortal? Garg, punch me." Garg happily complied. "Owww! OK, try cutting me." Garg's blade drew Dragonborn blood. "Owwww! I don't understand. Shouldn't I be immortal?"

Carlagnios frowned quizzically. "And yet... This is strange. I feel something that I have never felt before... I feel like ... I know something!"

"What do you know?"

"I can sense that the other 99 are far away. And I know where the Centenarch is."

"Then lead us there," said Kale. "Lead us to the Centenarch."