Cyrene, picking up on her companions distress rather than actually noticing anything herself, shrinks to the back of the group even as her mind reaches out for the one coming towards them.
As the approaching figure comes into view, Jasper immediately recognizes her as Syreena, his adoptive mother and the person who ratted you all out to the slavers. She is dragging her feet towards you, hunched over as if injured. She can barely stand.
However, Cyrene can't sense any thoughts coming from her.
With haste, Jasper dashed towards Syreena as he reversed his bow across his back. "Mom! What happened?!" In his adulthood, Jasper often called Syreena by her name, yet this state of her brought him back to more emotional responses.
His eyes teared-up again. "Here, let me help you sit! We'll take a look at those wounds. I'm sure one of us can help!"
"Jasper wait!" Cyrene yells, "It's not her!" She takes off after the bard, intent on dragging him away from the thing impersonating his mother.
Kurt watches in confusion at the unexpected appearance of the bard's foster mother ans the reaction of their resident psychic. Unsure of what is going on, or what to do he moves forward warily, waiting to see what happens.
He does mutter to the dwarf next to him, "Unusual that she would be able to find us all the way out here, and in such a condition. "
He keeps a keen eye out for further surprises, or to figure what the heck is going on in front of him.
Kurt notices that Syreena's skin is paler than usual, and she doesn't quite move like someone who's been wounded. Rather, she moves more like a corpse that has been animated.
Cyrene is up.
Cyrene leaps on Jasper, attempting to keep him from his 'mothers' tender mercies.
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As Cyrene tries to pull Jasper back, Syreena lashes out at her son.
Jasper is caught off guard by the heavy blow. He feels his ribs crack and blood trickles from his mouth.
Everyone can go.
"It appears to be an undead of some kind! Perhaps a zombie." Kurt intones in his usual emotionless voice as he moves into striking range of the monster.
Channeling his arcane energy to power his blade, Kurt lashes out with a two handed strike.
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Stunned at the betrayal, Jasper stumbles back with the blow. "Wh - Why?!" His hands still could not reach for his weapon out of disbelief, but the shocking pain coursing through his torso would have made such a maneuver of little effect anyway.
Seeing Kurt's attack, Ulfred maneuvers around the corpse and delivers a punch to its back.
Kurt trips over a tree root as he tries to swing at Syreena, and his blade misses wildly. Ulfred manages to land a solid blow. He can hear the bones pf her arm crack, but she seems relatively unaffected.
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Cyrene, seconds too late, curses before snapping her fingers and sending a small orb of viridian material flying across the clearing to splatter across the zombies face.
Cyrene's blast burns the woman's skin. Again, she is unfazed by the injury. Keve draws his pistol and fires a bullet at Syreena.
Keve's shot penetrates the skin, and the party sees a yellow-green fluid pour from the wound instead of blood.
Syreena slams her broken arm into Ulfred.
The blow breaks the dwarf's nose, but he stands resolute against the enemy.
Everyone can go.
"Green fluid. Fascinating" Kurt mutters as he recovers from his missed attack.
Recovering from his missed swing, Kurt again lashes out with his blade, hoping to take down this monster before it hurts more of his companions.
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And I discovered that my castle stands, upon pillars of salt and pillars of sand. Seeing the woman bleed green, completely unphased by her spell or Keve's bullet throws Cyrene for a second. Even in the first world, home of all that is wild, wonderful and dangerous things would still react, still bow in the face of superior magic or firepower.
Steeling herself against the whispering voice of fear inside Cyrene throws her acid again.
Kurt cuts through the torso of Syreena, separating the muscle and flesh and displaying her organs. That's when you see that her heart, lungs, and other internal bits are covered with some kind of yellow spore. They have discolored the blood and while the organs do not function, the body still moves.
Cyrene takes advantage of the opening and shoots her acid straight into the open torso. For the first time, Syreena shows signs of pain. She flails about wordlessly as the magic acid eats away the spores. They dissolve completely and the inn keeper's body lies still in the dirt.
"Facinating," Kurt mutters again as he looks at the not-zombie zombie, "I have never seen these spores, though I feel we should vacate the area in case they are contagious"
Kneeling to Jasper, he looks him over the best he can, "he's not dead, but I lack healing skills."
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Cyrene shudders at the sight of the spores and continues hurling acid until she has burned away every trace of them from the woman's dead body. Only when the cleansing is done does she pause and look at Jasper.
"I know no healing magic I'm afraid - I'm better with minds..."
"Mom!.."
Jasper's wail for the woman who just attacked him turned into a sob. The pain in his torso was sever, but it paled with the emotional whiplash he'd been subjected to. The bard leaned against a tree for support on his good side, the convulsions as he wept self-flagellation of a sort suitable for a Kuthonite.
His eyes had told him this thing wasn't truly her. But the body was. They killed her, used her against me.
The seed of anger had been planted in the young man's chest, and the tears he now shed would give it the nutrients needed to thrive.
Kurt looks at the scene of devastation, the bard nearly killed, barely on his feet and undoubtedly suffering immeasurably. The dwarf monk stoically enduring the pain of the terrible blow the zombie-thing struck him. The gunslinger, grieving for his lost shop and way of life.
I possess no ability to comfort any of them, cold logic is probably the wrong approach, but it is all I have
"We have further fuel for revenge on these slavers, but we are in no shape to seek it. We must find somewhere to heal and plan, or perhaps purchase proper supplies. Is there another town near by wherein we can seek a temple?" looking about the group again, "we owe these fiends blood and cold steel, yet to seek it now will only end in our deaths. We must take care, now more than ever"
It does seem that one single event has severed all our ties with this town. All ties but revenge
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There is a town about 3 days ride north of here. Only problem? You have no rides. On foot the trip will take about a week.
Stumbling as best he could away from the city, Jasper teetered on the fence between sadness and anger. Part of him hoped it was a dream.
"Brennel ... we're going to need to leave." Speaking made the bard's side hurt. "If they could do that to Syreena ... I can't chance them doing it to you." Jasper was too hurt to argue, but he had to make his feelings clear.
When the first mention of making camp for the night came, he readily agreed.
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"We should make our way to the dearest towd we cad. There, we may fide healers add a place to plad our dext move." Ulfred suggests, trying to staunch the bleeding from his nose.
The next few days pass without incident. It appears that the slavers have stopped pursuing you for now. Cautiously, you manage to find your way to the road that connects Mulberry to Tesala and begin the trek to the new town.
After a while, you begin to hear the creaking of a wagon coming from up ahead. It is not currently in your view, however.
The bard's keen ears picked-up on the potential sound of a caravan. "Looks like someone's up ahead. I'm going to keep my bow out, just to be safe."
A near-death experience had made the youth paranoid. Fortunately, the presence of practiced hunter Brennel beside him helped substantially.
[/ooc]You all should have recovered 4hp.[/ooc]
Kurt starts at the bard's words, the long days of travel had left him woolgathering. Luckily the bard's keen hearing gave them warning.
Hearing his comment about the bow, Kurt simply places one hand on his sheathed blade as he walks.
"There is no reason to suspect trouble from ahead, but prudence requires preparedness. Good thinking Jasper"
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As the cart sounds closer, you also begin to hear somepne whistling. From around the bend ahead, a man drives a mule drawn wagon. He travels alone, but also keepa a spear by his side. "Greetings travelers," he says.
"Good day to you," replied Jasper. He gave the cart a once-over for abnormalities along with the man.
"We're out to get as far away from those bricks they call beds at The Rusty Scythe. What brings you out here?"
Kurt does his best to appear friendly to the man while letting the bard doing the talking.
We are a rough looking group, hopefully he doesn't get too worried
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"I just finished my apprenticeship at Tesala. I'm on my way to start a carpentry shop down in Mulberry. A place like that could always use a good carpenter, I figure. Name's Orono"
The man clearly has a slight orcish appearance, probably a half breed. He seems relatively nice though.
"I'd be careful..." Cyrene starts, then realises that she's forgotten to speak out loud again and has another go. "I'd be careful if I were you. We passed through Mulberry recently and there was a lot of unsettlement there. You might want to wait a few days."
"Really? What kind of unsettlement?"
"The kind that needs more arsons than carpenters. You'd best turn around."
Jasper might have sounded harsh, but he was still in pain from the previous days' journey, and the emotional turmoil was probably a deeper wound still. I have to keep going though. There's nothing left back there for me...
"Someone freed a caravan of slaves and the slavers are wrecking the place in frustration. I doubt normal commerce will resume in that town for a few days at least."
Kurt chimes in, surprising himself at offering information unasked.
I appear to be adapting to companionship rather faster than I had anticipated.
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"Thanks for the warning. I've got no love for slavers, a career of bullys and thugs. I guess I'm on my way back to Tesala, then. And you all look like you could use a ride."
Letting out a sigh of relief, the bard took the man up on his offer. "Sure could. Tesala's not going to burn down anytime soon, is it?" He half-smiled, then approached the cart to find a seat.
Cyrene simply smiles widely and hops in the back of the wagon. Finding a few sacks there she swiftly improvises a bed and nods off, rocked by the gentle motion of the wagon as it travels.
"I sure hope not." Orono steers his wagon around and drives it back to Tesala. The trip takes a day and a half, during which time you learn that the half orc picked up his trade to avoid joining the Chelaxian military. He can use the spear he carries in a pinch, but would prefer to avoid fighting for such an oppressive government.
Silently, Kurt takes a spot on the wagon. Keeping a keen eye out for pursuit.
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When you reach Tesala, you see a town that dwarfs the settlement you call home. An outpost that serves as a hub for the trading between Chelaxian border vilages, it is a regular melting pot of diabolical culture. Nobles walk the streets in brilliant colors, looking down on everyone around them. They are trailed by their halfling slaves who tirelessly follow their master's commands. Tieflings and other half breeds serve as common laborers to keep the town clean for a paltry salary. Only the humans seem to make a decent living as craftsmen and skilled professionals. Pretty much everyone actively avoids you. As you arrive pass by the sign reading: Welcome to Tesala in plain black lettering.
Wagons come and go on roada that lead out of the town in every direction. They carry produce, lumber, furs, and every other commodity that can be made or found in the rural communities around. The goods are then sold for easily 4 times what the farmers and hunters are paid.
Kurt looks around the town, he'd never been here but it seemed much the same as many places he'd been in Chiliax.
Turning to hid companions he intones, "what now?"
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I don't know. Cyrene responds, sitting quietly at the bottom of the wagon. I don't want to be seen too much - the opinions on anyone not human... She shudders. I would like to know if any fey have been seen in the area though - I came here searching for an Agent of Count Ranalc. Being captured has cost me time and I need to find his trail before it is lost in the shadows.
Kurt turns to Cyrene, if we get you a nice cloak with a hood, I don't think you will stand out much, with both half elves and tieflings about.
Thanking the carpenter he hops down from the cart. "I suppose we should seek lodging for a bit and, " looking to Ulfred and Jasper, "do you two require healing? I have limited gold but I will offer what I can for a healers service"
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"Why don't you guys try to find a place to stay. I'm going to let my trademaster know that I'm not going to Mulberry right away after all. I'll meet up with you later.
Unlike Mulberry, where traders were limited to the single inn, there are all manner of taverns and hotels available for your selection. There appearance and clientele vary depending on how much you want to stay for the night.