Iagon takes a few deep breaths, calming himself down. It's so easy for the others...they change from diplomat to killer in a blink. I hope I can achieve that some day. Or, maybe I don't... He forces down his words, not wanting to sound like anything but the professional as which he'd been hired. Wordlessly, he helps Turante scour the area for tracks.
As the strange person perishes, their body reverts back to its normal size. On it’s person, you find a masterfuly crafted morningstar, a light crossbow and quiver of 9 bolts, and leather armor. It also has a small purse with a handful of low-quality gemstones. Nearby, at the edge of the clearing, is a leather sack with a few freshly killed small animals, a rabbit, two squirrels, and a skunk.
Iagon and Turante are quick to realize that your tracks from earlier in the morning pass nearby. They are also able to identify a separate, single set of small humanoid prints that came from the east a few yards south of the clearing.
As everyone is looking about, there is a rustling in the undergrowth behind you.
Liamae slowly turns towards the undergrowth. "If there's somebody in there, know that we would rather speak than fight! If you mean us no harm, come out so that we might talk." She repeats the message in Sylvan.
The rustling in the bushes stops suddenly as Liamae calls out. After a couple of heartbeats, there is the a small thud and clatter as something is dropped to the ground. Then, two green, webbed hands stick straight up from behind a bush.
"Rilli," croaks Rilli as he walks out into the clearing, arms up, eyes wide. But then he realizes who it is, and a wide grin creeps across his face as he drops his arms. He takes a few steps towards the group before noticing the fallen warrior. "Rilli," croaks Rilli as he stops and points at the body.
"Yes, Rilli." returns Attai easily, his heartbeat returning to normal. "It ambushed us."
"Have you seen more of these things?" he asks, indicating the body.
Rilli simply shakes his head and shrugs. He then turns and heads back to the bushes, where he picks up his belongings. When he steps back out into the clearing, he has a quarterstaff held across his shoulders with one arm with a bucket full of fish hanging off the other end. He blinks and looks at the group expectantly.
Iagon looks at Attai, and only can offer his own shrug in response to the little fellow. Shall we head back then?
He turns to follow his own suggestion, not willing to let the seemingly free-spirited Rilli out of his sight again.
Kytes nods is assent when the group discuss a return to the outpost. "Rilli has been successful fishing it appears, and I think we have had a successful trip as well, even if it was a bit painful." The paladin sends Eir aloft to scout the way back to the river crossing and rubs his wounded shoulder as they walk the rest of the way back.
"Agreed, this has been an eye-opening trip. I think the possibility of hostile... giant-growing things... in the woods might blunt hostilities between the centaurs and the settlers," says the elf ranger.
"Let's report back in, then perhaps we can share another drink to unwind a bit!"
Attai agrees, though a look of trepidation sits upon him.
"That creature might be an agent of Uuhurn... But for now, yes, let us return and report..."
Leaving the dead warrior behind, you move back to the river road and continue south back to the trading post. The rest of the journey back is calm and uneventful, but the sounds of birds and other creatures coming from the trees remind you that this vast forest is very much teeming with life.
You clear the edge of the forest just past the sun’s zenith and the trading post comes into view. Kytes feels a sense of unease coming from Eir, and the hawk returns to her perch on his good shoulder. This draws his attention skyward, to where he notices three vultures circling high up above.
Kytes points out the vultures to his companions. "That does not look like a good sign." he says, hustling towards where the carrion birds circle, keeping his eyes peeled for signs of trouble.
Iagon chuckles. Looks like they're waiting for us to die.. He coughs suddenly, and winces. That sounded better in my head. Want me to take them down? I can hit them at a pretty good distance.
Liamae puts her hand on Iagon's arm to forestall his attack. "I'm less concerned about the vultures themselves than what might have attracted them. Let's check it out."
She follows behind Kytes.
"Mmm" Attai murmurs by way of agreement. The sylph takes care to load his heavy crossbow and follows.
Iagon inclines his head. Oh...hadn't thought of that. He follows behind, though he tries to outpace Liamae to put himself between her and any potential danger.
Hustling towards the point the vultures seem to circling over leads you into the marshy field between the river and outpost. At this point, you likely remember that you left the body of the worg out here last night, and indeed, you see its dark form still lying amongst the marshgrass. But there's something off.
As you approach, you can see something moving on the corpse. It's a pale white, greasy, blobbish looking form, about the size of a small child. It squirms and wiggles and seems to be feeding on the dead worg. The closer you get, the more you swear you can smell something sulfurous in the air. Kytes still feels a growing sense of concern coming from Eir.
Liamae gags at the grisly sight. "Ugh! We have to remember to bury our kills from now on. Giant maggots become giant flies that spread giant disease. Should we eliminate it before it gets to that point?"
Attai peers at the blob.
"... sulfur? Is that thing some kind of demon?" says Túrante as the group gets closer. She keeps her sword at the ready just in case.
Although at first glance the thing gnawing its way into the side of the dead worg does look like a giant maggot, Attai gets the feeling there is something not quite right about this grub.
Kytes looks at the grub-like creature with intense interest, asking Iomedae to help him determine if this foul thing is evil or merely a creature of nature.
"Demon? That would make sense. It surely is not natural." Attai takes aim with his heavy crossbow.
"Kytes? Attai asks over the stock of his weapon.
Kytes gets the feeling this creature before them is fiendishly evil.
"If it is a demon, we will need powerful weapons to put it down." Liamae places her hands on Kytes' longsword and Turante's dueling sword, drawing power from her boots to temporarily infuse them with power. She then casts gravity bow on her longbow. "I have a cold iron dagger as well that might prove more potent, though I'm reluctant to get into melee myself!"
Attai sighs, drops the crossbow low for a moment and whips a pair of cards from his deck. He glances at them, taps himself with the pair, then tucks them in his belt before renewing his aim.
"Books, Stars, evil and evil. I say we destroy it."
Swift Action: Judgment/Eye of the Harrow: Smiting.
:
Standard Action: Bit of Luck (Sp): You can touch a willing creature as a standard action, giving it a bit of luck. For the next round, any time the target rolls a d20, he may roll twice and take the more favorable result
Iagon looks at Kytes and sees his face grow stern at his examination of the creature. He sighs and looks at the thing with a shrug. Well...sure can't have this thing crawling into our bedrolls at night.
With that, he blasts the creature with a swirling mist of sharp wooden particles.
As Liamae magically enhances gear, Attai feels a resonance with the array of cards he drew.
Iagon launches the attack, but his blast is wild and it scatters about the marsh. However, the maggot is now alerted to your presence and it lifts its anterior end off the worg corpse. You can see now the circular mouth on this thing, rings of hook-like, razor sharp teeth. It’s done some damage on the corpse, having burrowed through the rib cage. It slides off the dead worg and begins crawling furiously across the muddy ground towards you in a sickening undulating motion.
"Kytes..." says Túrante, and nods her head as she circles to the left side of the creature cautiously and takes a hesitant swing of her elegant sword.
Liamae resists the urge to gag as the creature approaches. She touches two fingers to her elegant choker as she draws on her mental focus to try to cloud the creature's mind.
It's a supernatural ability, so it's not subject to spell resistance.
Iagon focuses again, hopefully a bit better this time.
Attai moves for a clear shot before depressing the lever on his heavy crossbow.
[+2 Dex, +1 BAB, +1 harrow, -4 fring into melee]
Turante leads the charge against the vile giant maggot, but as she gets near it, the rotten sulfurous stench catches her off guard and her swing is wild.
Liamae reaches out psychically to the creepy crawly’s mind to try and daze it, but she should know better... bugs don’t have a mind to cloud.
Iagon refocuses and this time hits with his telekinetic blast, and pieces of wooden matter lacerate the maggot’s soft pale flesh. Yellowish ichor oozes out, and Turante can attest, the smell is just awful.
In an instant, Attai rewrites reality in his favor and plunks a bolt deep into the vile maggot, ending it forever.
“Rilli,” croaks Rilli.
Frowning at her failed attempt to daze the creature, Liamae fires an arrow that goes wide,
Liamae buries another arrow deep in the fleshy sack of the already dead maggot, just for good measure.
"Ugh. UGH."
Liamae offers Turante a perfumed handkerchief to mask the stench of the dead maggot. "I agree, Your Highness. Let's put this nasty business behind us."
Kytes stays behind to burn the foul fiendish maggot corpse. "We don't need any more of this kind around. Obviously there is something quite amiss here. Did the dead worg attract this thing or spring from it?"
Attai blinks.
"I have no idea. What...was it?"
Iagon shakes his head in disgust at the remains. No clue, but whatever it was, I'd rather not see another.
Out of the sake of morbid curiosity, he examines the worg's body to see what the thing was actually eating - just flesh?
A quick look around reveals some mud nearby the corpse has been disturbed. It seems the maggot burrowed it’s way toward the dead worg. Iagon sees that the maggot chewed through hair and hide, muscle, bone, and sinew to get to the juicy entrails. All in all, the cavity left behind is about the size of a human head.
It is a couple of hours past noon, several hours before sundown. Kytes' shoulder remains broken and his shield arm hangs limply at his side. The proud half-orc hides all signs of pain however. He sets the dead maggot ablaze, but the partially consumed dead worg remains.
"As I recall, the fangs of wargs are sometimes kept by trophy hunters," says Túrante.
"I can probably remove the fangs and the undamaged portion of the pelt for sale to a fur trader or trophy collector."
Attai smiles ruefully.
"I knew we should have taken the body. I have no expertise Turante, but I am happy to learn by assisting..." the sylph offers.