Matt dropped like a stone at the sound of his sister's warning. Lying on his side, listening to the sounds of birds, he felt the last little bit of fire bubble up inside him. Aiming up and away from where he hoped Maddy was, he belched forth the remains of his spell.
Swarm 1: 8/32, -5, -1, -3 = dead
Swarm 2: 20/32, -19, -5 = dead
Between Martok's mighty burst of flames, Matthew's waning spell energy, Evelina's flask of acid, and the flashing blades of Cithembi, Freyja, and a blindly guessing Madison, the final few ravens are dispersed, and the snow-covered landscape once again falls silent. Seeing the last birds fall, Nadya and Kashka peek out nervously from their hiding place - but Orm and Mjoli dash forward, their knobbly sticks in hand. That was amazing! Mjoli calls out, nearly yanking a surprised Matthew to the ground as he pulls at the wizard's clothing in excitement. The way you smoked 'em - fwoosh! Pssh!
Meanwhile, Orm breaks out in a complicated pantomime of knocking a flock of phantom ravens away from the food supplies on the sled - but stops short when he sees the extent of the injuries to Madison's face, letting out a small gasp and withdrawing slightly. Following behind, Nadya puts a hand on Madison's shoulder, turning her to inspect her wounded eyes. Can you see anything? At all? Once she confirms that Matthew is in the same bad situation, Nadya turns to the party. Does any of you have some way to fix this? I can try, but I've not got much skill as a healer...
Martok got both twins together and announced, "Today I am infused with the spirit of life, the spirit of healing. Gather 'round me those that thirst for its touch."
He then went to work on the twins' eyes, "Hold still. I think we need to carefully clean away the gunk, and feathers, and blood..."
, pass
, fail
The warrior's eyesight restored, the dwarf still continued to work on the wizard. "I think this is beyond me for now but I will pray to the spirits for a cure."
He placed himself in front of wizard, "Reach out and I shall be your guide. In the meantime you can tell me about that wonderful fire breath spell you cast."
----------------
HP 49/49
AC 15, touch 11, flat-footed 14
Conditions: n/a
Melee (+1 spear): +4 = +1(magic) +3(base)
Melee Damage (+1 spear): 1d8+1, x2
3/5 mythic pool, 4/4 touch of flame, 1/2 channel energy
Spell used: burning hands, burning hands
Cithembi looks at Matthew sadly. "I have no skill with healing, save with magic, and healing eyes is beyond the blessings Desna grants me now."
Freyja is also unable to help and looks unhappy that this is the cast. We will have to be your eyes until your wounds heal Matt.
Matt waited patiently for Martok to finish with Maddy, listening to the sounds around him. When the healer came to him, Matt clenched his teeth and squeezed Maddy's hand as Martok rinsed his eyes and carefully sponged them. And still, the world remained dark.
Matt felt panic rise inside him. How could he fight if he couldn't see? He felt himself start to hyperventilate, and forced deep breaths until his head stopped spinning. Finally, Martok's words registered. "Are you sure it will heal? This isn't permanent?"
Finally assured that he would heal, in time, he allowed Martok to lead him away from the carnage of the ravens. Maggie perched on his shoulder, making concerned-sounding quarks in his ear. Thankful for the distraction, he talked about the fire breath spell, and it wasn't long before the two of them were in a technical discussion about the difference between arcane and divine magic.
Maddy sits very still as Martok attends to her eyes but her hands are constantly fidgeting. "I'm sure it's not that bad...maybe you should start with Matty...just slap a bandage on it and I'll be fine.". But she is politely ignored and soon the blotted blood is cleared away and the world comes back into focus. "Thank you, Martok." she mumbles.
She waits anxiously as the shaman does the same for Matty. When it doesn't have the same results, her stomach twists in guilt. "I'm sorry, Matty. I should have been faster.". She continues to hover around her brother for the rest of the day, making sure she is close enough to get him whatever he needs or help him however he needs.
"Yeah, it was pretty cool! Wasn't it!" Evelina says enthusiastically to the little boys, stepping in front of the children to hide the bloodied twins from their sight while Martok saw to their wounds. "Don't you worry too much. Martok'll fix 'em right up." She points to her right shoulder where her a Talon had sliced her, that had now entirely sealed up from the burst of positive energy Martok let out. "See? Would'ya look at that!" However, despite being all smiles for the kids, she looks over her shoulder nervously to see how the treatment of the twins eyes is going.
Matt waited patiently for Martok to finish with Maddy, listening to the sounds around him. When the healer came to him, Matt clenched his teeth and squeezed Maddy's hand as Martok rinsed his eyes and carefully sponged them. And still, the world remained dark.
Matt felt panic rise inside him. How could he fight if he couldn't see? He felt himself start to hyperventilate, and forced deep breaths until his head stopped spinning. Finally, Martok's words registered. "Are you sure it will heal? This isn't permanent?"
Martok reassured the wizard even if he didn't feel so sure himself, "You'll be fine in a couple of days. Your eyes just need a little time to heal. We'll wash and rinse your eyes again tomorrow morning."
He then continued with the magical discussion trying to get the wizard's mind thinking of something else, "So... the fire breath... does it give you heartburn?"
We good to go? Nadya asks with pointed concern as Martok pulls Matthew to his feet and leads him away from the scattered raven corpses. If you can get by a few more hours, we'll be coming up on a wood soon. She gestures off to the north-west, where the grey-green bristles of distant pine trees peek over the horizon. We'll be way better off in there - easier to build a shelter if it comes to it, and there's a few old logging cabins scattered in it that were empty last I knew. One of them just inside its edge, even, if I remember right. Might be we could snag one of those for the night, and that'd be worth it for certain.
And, true to her judgement, four hours' travel brings the party to the wood's fringes with no further conflict. Nadya guides the dogs off the road, taking the lead with her bow and an arrow loosely held in front of her. A few hundred feet inside the tree line, a rough wooden cabin squats among the tree trunks. There is no sign of activity around it...but as you draw close, you realize a thin stream of smoke rises from the chimney. Should we chance it? Nadya wonders aloud, guiding the nock of her arrow toward its seat in her bowstring. But fate makes the choice for her - the cover of the cabin's window twitches aside, and a shock of fiery red hair emerges. Please - be you friends? a woman's voice calls out in a smooth tone that perfectly complements the whispering of the trees, the words tinged with hope and fear. My hearth is warm and my floor far drier than the wood's. I would trade my good will and aid for yours.
Cithembi's first impulse is to accept. By the time his second impulse says that the others might not agree, he's already stepping forward with a smile.
"Of course we are friends!" he proclaims. "Friends to all who are not of evil will, yes?"
He looks at the others for confirmation.
Martok confirmed the oracle's offer, "Yes, ma'am, we are friends who would really appreciate a warm place place to sleep tonight."
He added, "We have provisions and skills to repay your offer in kind."
---------
Matt stood shivering as the others spoke to somebody. Walking through snow blinded was harder than he could have imagined, and he'd worked up a sweat trying to stay on his feet and pointed in the right direction. Now that they'd stopped moving, the cool air chilled his sweat, and even his spell couldn't keep him properly warm.
Every muscle hurt - he had stumbled and fallen so many times that even the soft snow was starting to bruise. The times that Maddy had managed to keep him from falling meant that his arm was purpling from being hauled on by his strong sister. He didn't know where they were or what was happening, but he hoped that the woman's voice was telling the truth, for he didn't have it in him to try and fight a witch in disguise right now.
Maddy continues to hover around Matty throughout the remaining part of their journey. She is adamant that nothing untoward is going to happen to him again that day. Of course her less than gentle handling of him didn't count - that was helpful and for his own good. Not that she was being rough on purpose, her brother was just delicate.
When they stop and Matty begins to shiver, Maddy gathers her brother to herself and wraps them both in her cloak. She hopes that the others get them an invite inside the house so that they can enjoy the fire. She can't imagine her twin was happy about being hugged against her armor.
Evelina nods in agreement with Martok and Cithembi. "Yep. We ain't lookin' for no trouble. Just a place to get outta the cold for the night."
I pray your skills are enough. But for now, in, in. Night falls, and what must be done is better done in the light of day. The mass of red hair disappears from the window, and from the cabin's other side the woman emerges, throwing on a long, hooded coat. Her bright cheeks and intense red hair are a stark contrast to the pale whites and blues of the snow and the muted browns and greens of the trees...and the effect is truly striking. I am afraid I have no lodging for the beasts...they will be all right in the snow, yes? They look to be hardy souls.
Yes, Nadya responds, seeming slightly taken aback by the woman. They've spent plenty of nights in the snow before - the cold's in their blood. I'll put them up at the house's back, if that's all right... The red-haired woman nods consent, and Nadya begins to detach the traces from the sled's front. Kashka, take Orm and Mjoli inside. I'll see to the hounds. Nadya's friend nods and takes the young boys' hands in her own. With a sweeping motion, the red-haired woman waves everyone to the side of the house that faces away from the road, where a heavy fur flap protects the cabin from the elements.
Inside, the cabin is a single open room. A bed (in reality little more than a square platform topped with a heap of furs over a thin mattress of blue ticking) rests in one corner, and a stone-and-clay fireplace takes up much of the wall opposite the door, the chimney reaching up through the roof. A cauldron rests in the flames of the fireplace, and a smaller cast iron pot hunkers down near its base, a savory smell of meat and bread wafting from the pair. Once everyone enters, the red-haired woman lets the door flap fall gently, turning to face the party. I fear no luxury awaits - you will sleep close tonight. More home means more fuel to drive away the cold, and we are usually only two...
For a moment, the woman's voice catches. I beg pardon. My hospitality is not usually so unkind. I am Sylgja. I live in this place with my husband... The ghost of a sob halts her words. ...my husband, Finngarth. A tear rolls down her cheek, and she goes silent for several moments. It is for his welfare I would claim repayment for my courtesy, as your small man said. He went several days ago, to gather syrup to sweeten my bread, and he returns not, though he should have warmed my bed three days hence. And when I went to follow his way, I fear it was a troll I saw in the clearing ahead of me...
Cithembi nods solemnly. "Trolls we have experience with. They are powerful, but we have fire to scorch them. On the morrow we will do all we can for him."
Maddy nods slowly as she understands the importance of family but she had one condition. "We will help but Matty needs to stay here if his eyes are still hurt. I will not have him facing a troll while blind."
Matt opened his mouth to argue, but could think of nothing to say. It was true - if he went out to a fight in this condition, he would be more of a liability than anything else. He would have liked to insist they wait until he could see again (if I can see again
he pushed that thought away) but that would seriously harm their chances of finding him alive.
Very unhappy, he sat in the warm room on the dirt floor and kept his mouth shut.
Lord Fire stirred within Martok at the mention of trolls.
"We will lass. We'll see what we can do for your husband on the morrow."
He turned to Matty, "Maybe a good night's rest will help your eyes. I will clean and bandage them again in the morning."
-------------
Though tired from the day's travels and a previous night's ill rest, Evelina is all but ready to volunteer to go immediately. However, she contains her enthusiasm as she remembers the condition that the twins are in. Instead, she stays quiet and lets her party members do the talking.
I would not ask you to go this late...unless you wish it, Sylgja finishes, a hint of hope mixed with resignation in her voice. The foul monsters can see by only starlight, or even less - it will see and you will not. Your coming is already as much as I could have hoped...
At the decision to wait and give Matthew more chance to recover, Sylgja nods resolutely. While she's visibly dismayed at forcing her husband to wait another night in harm's way, she moves immediately to push the heavy kitchen table against one wall. We seldom have visitors - I am afraid I have not enough blankets. You will have to use your own. I was preparing food only for two, but I will share what I can, and the coals should be hot yet to prepare something more. From a hook on the wall, Sylgja retrieves a rough cloth overskirt and binds it around her waist, removing her green cloak and placing it on the hook in the overskirt's place. Then she grabs a large quilted square from the mantelpiece, using it to protect her hands as she grabs the cauldron from the fireplace and draws it out onto the hearth. Please - make yourselves comfortable. I'm sorry it's so little to offer.
Evelina is more than happy to use her own cloak for warmth and though the lack of food other than their same old trail rations was mildly disappointing, she was mostly just happy to have shelter for the night. However, before turning in for the night, she quietly maneuvers her way over to Cithembi.
"Hey. Psst. Cithembi..." She whispers to the catfolk, tapping him on the shoulder when she remembers that going 'psst' was not all that effective. Looking somewhat sheepish, she asks. "Um...I was wondering...could you...um teach me some of that hand language stuff you use sometimes...? I notice some of the others are pickin' it up...an' well I figured maybe if they saw I was pickin' up on it too, they might be real impressed by how smart I was. Y'know...like 'Hey. This girl's useful to have around!'" her cheeks turn a little red as she admits her primary reason. Quickly she tries to diminish its importance by listing other reasons. "...An' I could be all sortsa useful. Like I could translate for you when you can't see people's lips. Or I could give you secret battle strategies without the enemy knowin' nothing!" She looks up at Cithembi with hopeful eyes.
Cithembi grins at Evelina, not really bothered by her embarrassment. "Of course! I would be glad to, friend. You need no reason beyond wanting to learn."
, close...
Martok was happy to sleep inside and warm for the night. A herder spends many nights under the stars but the dwarf always welcomed a chance to sleep in. he made sure everyone was comfortable before turning in and slept well into the morning.
The first thing he did was pray to Lord Fire, hoping his blessing would win the day with this troll and they could find their hostess' husband.
He then looked to the wizard and cleaned out his damaged eyes. Slowly and with no small amount of skill and prayer, the shaman was able to restore the eyesight to the wizard.
"How's that?" he wiggled his fat fingers in front of his eyes, "How many fingers do I have?"
--------------
HP 49/49
AC 15, touch 11, flat-footed 14
Conditions: n/a
Melee (+1 spear): +4 = +1(magic) +3(base)
Melee Damage (+1 spear): 1d8+1, x2
3/5 mythic pool, 4/4 touch of flame, 2/2 channel energy
Spell used: n/a
Maddy has little else to focus on that evening other than her twin. She makes sure he has whatever he needs and she prepares a place for him to sleep as well as puts some food in his hand to eat while she does so. She looks worriedly over at her brother hoping the damage isn't permanent. She knows that Martok said it wouldn't be but that doesn't stop her from being concerned.
Matt listens to the bustle around him as their hosts cooks, and his friends settle in to the small space. Now that he's not moving, he has nothing to distract him from the fact of his blindness. He keeps touching the scratches on his face, trying to determine how bad they are, and why he can't see.
Finally Maggie hopped over to his lap and knocked his hands away with her had. "Stoo-ark-op Matt-ty!" The large raven made sure his hands stayed occupied petting her. "Eyes will get bet-ter, Mart..Mart-yy said so, said so. I - quooork! I can see for you."
The raven nattered on in Matt's year, describing the old woman, the room, and what the others were doing. Her enthusiasm and kindness brought a smile to Matt's lips, even through his fear. After an hour or so, as they were all getting ready for bid, a thought came to Matt. As Maggie ate corn and crumbs from his hand, he smoothed the feathers on her head and said, "Little sis, how would you feel about helping me out even more? Helping me with my magic, even? Lots of wizards have a familiar - an animal that helps them out. If you wanted to, if you were willing, you could be mine?"
He felt the raven cock her head to the side, as if considering. "Like... like Mart-yy's mouse? Ark! Like that?"
Matt frowned - he hadn't realized that the dwarf had a mouse with him - he hadn't noticed it. "Maybe. His magic is different than mine. But you could help me, and we would have a special bond. Different than brother and sister."
Maddy is happy that Maggie is taking Matty's mind off his current disability. This frees her up to arrange their blankets for the night. When talk turns to Maggie becoming Matty's familiar, her movement stops suddenly almost as if she's in momentary shock. Finally she finds her voice and she challenges her twin. "Matty! How can you suggest that? It's far too dangerous.". Her protest continues, "And what about reversing what's happened to Maggie. If she becomes your familiar then will that prevent her from returning to her own body when the time comes? Her being our sister in Maggie's body is much more important than being our sister in a raven's body as your familiar."
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Maddy's words stopped Matt short. Was there a possibility that what he was doing would affect their attempt to reverse Maggie's affliction? After a moment's consideration, he turned his head to where he thought Maddy was and said, "I don't think it could make it harder. If anything, it might help me to understand what happened to her, and how to fix it. A wizard and his familiar have a deep bond, and that could deepen my understanding. Honestly, you know I would never do anything to harm her, and this might help keep her safer."
Maggie hopped over to Maddy's lap, nodding. "I wa-ark- ant to help! Quork! You will keep us sa-afe."
tag Maddy?
As the others made themselves ready for bed, Matt sat cross-legged at the end of his sleeping mat, Maggie on his lap. He held the raven gently in his hands, and focused on her. He slowed his breathing, until it was in sync with hers. They sat that way, meditating, until their bodies were as in tune as was possible for a human and a raven.
Matt practiced the ritual words in his mind over and over, until he was sure he had it right. Softly, he began whispering the words, over and over, gaining confidence as he said them. "Mind to mind, soul to soul, body to body. Rehv i rehv, sies i sies, fivith i fivith. I will teach you, learn from you, protect you. I zess isism ithie, sisilh hlir ithie, phliis ithie. Friends, partners, equals, familiar as our own skin. Fleihvs, phsilhils, iwesiss, hsiresesil sis iel izh seh. Will you accept me? Wess ithie sissiph ri?" A pause for a few breaths, then again, "Mind to mind..."
After several minutes of chanting, Maggie started chanting with him. At first her voice warbled and quarked, but after several repetitions it smoothed out, sounding more and more human. Before long, she sounded just like she did as a child. Still they chanted, together, their voices blending into one, eyes closed. A soft rosy glow began around them, barely lighting the dark room. Rather than grow brighter, it seemed to cycle through the rainbow, glowing briefly golden, amber, turquoise, indigo, ocher, and other, harder to name colours, then starting again.
After more than an hour, their voices faded away to nothing, only their lips and beak still moving. The glow dissipated to blackness. It took a moment to realize that the ritual was over, that the wizard and the raven had slumped over, obviously exhausted.
The night passes warmly, if perhaps in quarters slightly too close for true comfort. Sylgja shares around a few pounds of roasted game, seasoned heavily with salt, and a few loaves of white bread; while not enough to make a meal for eleven on its own, it's a good, hearty supplement to dried fruit and trail biscuits. One thing the red-haired hostess doesn't stint on is firewood - with Orm and Mjoli's help, she brings in a heap of firewood from a pile outside and sets several logs near the coals to dry out. It's more than enough to keep the cabin almost hot throughout the night, and the heat works its way in to calm shivers and soothe cramped muscles.
Once again the sun rises, green-tinted rays finding their way between chinks and gaps in the cabin's logs and window coverings. You awaken to find Sylgja hauling in a wash basin full of snow; sitting in front of the fire, the snow quickly melts into water, creating a place to wash dirty hands and faces. As everyone prepares, she sits to the side, one foot tapping in restlessness that she tries to conceal. Two hours' walk to the north and west is the clearing. The trails are few, but my Finngarth marked the trees along his way with lengths of rope. For such caution means that should a blizzard arise, he need only find a tree with a rope necklace to know that he sits at the path to home. His ropes led to a small bowl in the wood's floor, with a cave in its wall. That is where I saw the monster - I only pray you are not too late.
Matt slept surprisingly well, and woke up feeling refreshed. He held still for Martok's ministrations, but was not all that surprised that they didn't work. He felt Maggie's reassurance empathically through their new link, and it lent him more comfort than he would have thought possible. Never mind, Marty, um, Martok. I'll be all right until my eyes heal on their own.
After breaking bread and washing up, he asked their hostess, Can you tell us exactly what you saw? What led you to believe it was a troll? What did it look like? Tell us all you can remember.
Maddy was still unsure about Maggie becoming Matty's familiar but she wasn't going to stop it from happening. Matty had assured her that this magic wouldn't make Maggie a permanent familiar if they were able to get her soul back into her own body. She didnt know much about magic so she had to trust her twin.
Maggie's words 'you will keep us safe' both warmed Maddy's heart because of the confidence as well as twisted like a knife because it reminded her that she had failed - at least twice. First with Maggie being taken and secondly with Matty's blindness. She realizes that she is the worst protector ever to be had.
She falls asleep to the sound of Matty's ritual and pushes away thoughts of uselessness and feelings of being replaced. As she drifts from conscious thought she hears a woman's voice saying, You still have me.
The next morning Maddy packs both her and Matty's gear. She checks her weapons and is soon ready to go.
Distraught at his lack of success, the shaman pats the wizard in the back, "It will be alright. We'll try again tomorrow after you've rested."
He added, "In the meantime, I'm going to try that fire breath spell you taught me. I'll let you know how that goes later."
Cithembi knew nothing of the ways of magic beyond his own, so he watched Matthew and Maggie with rapt attention and a complete lack of understanding.
***************
The catfolk is up early the next morning. He refreshes his warming spell and steps outside to do his morning meditation under the open sky, moving quietly to avoid disturbing those still asleep.
Seeing Matt struggling a bit as he tried to memorize his spells, Evelina approaches and asks, "Um...did you need some help? Maybe I could...like...read'em to you an' you could remember that way?" She suggests. Taking the book, her eyes grow a bit large and she slightly second guesses her decision, as she sees the foreign words on the page. "Um...Lurn Og Hour Rarc...?" It's a rather grueling exercise for the usually distractable young swordswoman. By the time they finish, she is rubbing her temple. "You do this for an hour everyday!?!" she exclaims with disbelief.
Less tired than some due to her natural resistance to the cold Freyja stays up for while helping with chores and telling stories to those who are not too tired to here them. Finally she finds a corner and sleep deeply.
Matt winced at Evelina's pronunciation, but after a little coaching, she was able to read well enough to him to actually be of some help. Maggie stood on her shoulder, peering at the spell book, adding her opinion to some of the words. The raven's voice had regained its avian croak, but the feeling he got from within was 100% human Maggie.
It took longer than usual for them to muddle their way through the spells, and both Matt and Evelina had a headache by the end of it. Still, it had gotten the job done. Flopping back onto the floor, he took a few deep breaths and said, "You have the patience of an angel. Maybe we should change your name to Angelina. Yes, I do this every day, but it's not usually this difficult. Just like practicing with your rapier isn't this hard. Hopefully the one's we've worked on will help us with that troll."
Though Matt could not see, Evelina grinned widely upon receiving praise. "Pssh? Practice? I'm jus' naturally talented! I mean, I use'ta spar with Astrid sometimes, but that fun...Not like studying a book. Ain't really had anyone to practice with though lately..." She thinks for a moment, "Maybe I could ask your sister, I guess." Shrugging, she returns Matt his book, "Hopefully Martok fixes your eyes up soon...Not sure how much more of this I can take!"
Can you tell us exactly what you saw? What led you to believe it was a troll? What did it look like? Tell us all you can remember.
It was tall, and built strong. Not yet full-grown, I think, but easily the height of a tall man. Moss trolls are often smaller than their kin. Sylgja nods gravely. And this could have been nothing but, for its skin was near-covered in green, save tiny cracks where the pink of flesh showed through. Some kind of moss or fungus growing from its very hide - what other creature grows moss from its hide?
And then you remember a book you read on the influence of the First World on the Material Plane, and the contrast between innate magic ability in fey and humanoids. In that book, there was mention of a type of mold that had developed a rudimentary sentience, even a crude form of telepathy. But to maintain that sentience and to give it a means of travel, it depended on the energy of higher-ordered thought for sustenance and the motility of an outside host. It would latch onto any humanoids it found, sending tiny tendrils into the skin and using its magic to dominate the host's mind and senses, earning it the nickname "mindslaver mold"...
From what you remember, it sounds like this "troll" could very well be a person caught up in this mindslaver mold. It certainly fits Sylgja's description better than a troll.
----------
With preparations complete, the group sets out into the forest. Unwilling to knowingly bring her children anywhere near a troll's lair, Nadya has left Orm and Mjoli back at Sylgja's cabin with Kashka, but she herself accompanies the party along the trail. Every so often, you see a loop of rope tied chest-height around the trees, as Sylgja had described; as the forest deepens around you, you begin to grow glad of the sure markings showing the way toward safety. Wearing snowshoes, the walk through the deep snow is easier than expected; after only ninety minutes, you see a dip in the smooth snow ahead, and a few bits of exposed rock face where the drop is too sheer to allow snow to gather. Around the basin, several scattered boot prints mar the otherwise undisturbed view. And the spot where those prints gather most thickly is near the largest face of exposed rock, where two huge stones lean against each other to form a small cavern...
Martok was glad the children stayed behind. He was already of bringing back a dried twig and showing off the troll's 'finger' to keep them happy.
He looked at his companions to make sure they were ready before making his own preparations, which mainly consisted of stretching and warming his muscles.
----------
Evelina stares into the cavern with a sigh. "Guess that's where we gotta go, huh?" For Matt's benefit, she adds, "It's a dark, cold, lookin' tunnel..."
"Darkness I can fix easily," Cithembi says, grinning.
He reaches down, makes a snowball, and waves a hand over it. It begins to glow, and he tosses it into the entrance of the cave.
Matt followed the group through the forest, relying on his sisters to help him travel. After they were well away from the cottage, he called the group to stop, and told them his thoughts. "It's likely we're not dealing with a troll at all, but somebody caught by a mindslaver mold. Quite possibly her husband, and there may be more than one. The mold parasitizes people and controls them. So, we're going to have to be careful not just to blast at it, or we'll kill the host instead. I think we can pull it off, but it'll hurt the host. We'll need to be ready if that happens."
tag?
As they stood in front of the cavern, Matt said, "Do we need to go in? Perhaps we can draw it out."
Freyja stands back with Matthew ready to defend him.
Mindslaver Mold? How do we hurt it? And how do we keep it off us? Freyja asks. I guess we must subdue this poor victim to be able to save him or her?