"I think that we have the help we need now," Annika says with a wave of greeting. "Hopefully nothing happened while we were gone."
"We took a nap. It wasn't as fun as it sounds." Marcus shrugged.
Prophet comes to along with Marcus and shakes his head, trying to clear it of dust and drowsiness. "What are you on about, kid? We were at a tower, a big bird, and a little f*cker tried to rob us?" The half-orc reaches into his pack and pulls out the fey's knife. "Gobshite. Guess it was real enough."
The werewolf's struggles catch his attention, and he looks over at the beast with a scowl. "Quiet, you. And cut that gnawing. We'll finish your suffering soon."
When the rest of the group returns, Prophet raises an arm in greeting, curious about the new faces. "Good to see another Angijak," he says when Kahu introduces himself, clasping his wrist in greeting. He gives the platypus spirit a wary look, but then laughs as it appears to regard him and rest on his shoulder. "More spirits, too. If you're here to kill the Stag Lord, then you're okay in my book."
He nods to Jericho as well, and hooks his thumb at Marcus. "That about covers the important part. Weird dream thing, or something like that. Tell you all about it after we finish dealing with she-wolf the moon b*tch back there."
"Wait... you had that dream too?" Marcus blinked. He cleared his throat and looked confused and uncomfortable. "What the hell happened?"
Kahurangi let the two newest to his reception work-out the details of what transpired. He is one of my kind, yet our backgrounds are different; he speaks with much of the roughness in his voice.
"Jhod if you have any questions or need any help please do not hesitate to ask." If nothing is asked immediately of him Theodore will give him his space and move towards the others.
Quietly listening to the exchange, "You two had a shared dream? Did it pertain to this place." Waving a hand to gesture to the temple.
Creon looks at Jhod, "Conjecture. All houses of Gods should make man feel uncomfortable".
"Statement. Prophet. Marcus. Good to see you both again".
"Observation. You both look like s~%$".
Creon passes by the two men and takes a closer look at the werewolf that he had no hand in apprehending, much to his chagrin as his initial thought were that it may have been an ally.
"Thanks, Creon. You're a peach." Marcus rolled his eyes. "And yeah, shared dream. Not about this place though. Somewhere else. There was a giant bird, some ruins, a big mountain and a throne with a big eye on it. Oh, and a blue a$% h!~&. I stole his knife."
" Oh, and a blue a!! h#~&. I stole his knife."
"Could you tell us more about him or his kind? We met fey on the way today that may say they aren't okay."
Prophet snorts. "Do I look like a scholar, cousin? He was yea tall, blue, skinny. Tapped his foot fast and had an annoying voice. Wasn't even good at robbing, either. It was an afterthought." The half-orc says it with dripping disdain, as though barely suppressing his loathing of half-assed crime. "We scared him off and then woke up here."
"Appeared out of nowhere. Then disappeared again when we convinced him to leave." Marcus added in case it was relevant.
"The theft might be a reason the fey didn't care for him." Kahurangi cocked his head to one side. "Don't often see blue for skin or fur. Water's the only thing that'd blend with. We'll have to keep a close eye on the rivers and lakes."
"Other way around. I stole his knife because he was trying to rob us." Marcus said with a shake of his head.
Annika just stares at Marcus for a second. "You had an interesting time while we were gone, didn't you?"
Jhod gives Creon a look when the android comments on the temple itself and the looks of the two who remained behind, but doesn't seem willing to comment. When he finally sees the werewolf, writhing against her bonds with renewed vigor after the other arrive, his face twisting into a strange mix of emotions; the first are awe and fear in equal measure, but after a second he almost looks relieved. "It was real," he says, almost breathless. "There is a great evil in this place, but I believe I could purge it... it seems connected to another plane, but I can't tell how or why." He looks concerned when Marcus and Prophet talk about their 'dream', turning to ask a question.
"You said you two shared a dream here? Could you describe it to me in more detail, perhaps?"
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Jon couldn't bear witnessing a temple to his Lord corrupted and decaying. Almost reflexively, in conplet silence, the hunter stopped when he first saw it.
As the others advanced to greet and talk with the two remaining members of the party, he closed his eyes and prayed. He prayed for insight and he prayed for a way... but there was no answer.
They would need to find a way.
With a sad expression, Jonathan joined the others "Greetings, ye two must be the others that they mentioned. Me name's Jon, a follower of Old Deadeye by way of m'father and hunter by choice... I was trying t'pray for guidance, I can't bear the sight of the temple like this... but twas for nothing, we need to find a way by ourselves. Jhod's right, a great deal of evil is sleeping around, and it's wrong. Need to be righted."
The hunter shfts his weight from one foot to the other, feeling uncomfortable talking about the temple instead of acting already, when he notices the werewolf.
"That the lycan? Oh my, she's a big las. How the heck did you manage to wrap her tight and safe?"
Marcus looked like he wasn't sure what to say. "I'm a trapper." he finally said with a shrug.
"A skilled one, I'd say," responded Kahurangi to Marcus. "Many of those in my tribe took up that practice, yet few would be able to manage this."
The half-orc approached, staying out of the beast's radius yet getting close enough to see detail. "What tongues do you think she understands?"
Creon studies the trapped creature for some time as the others speak. As the discussion turns to the trapped creature Creon speaks, "Query. What are we proposing to do with this Lycan?"
Gallidren will once again study the creature and will attempt to discern if it has any weaknesses that can be exploited.
Jericho will approach the trapped werewolf, casting Detect Magic with a few muttered words and arcane gestures. He stops out of reach of the chained creature, studying it to discern all he can from any magical auras it may have about it.
"So far as I can gather Creon. Once we have cleansed the temple we may be able to kill that creature."
Kahurangi thinks for a moment, but he's fairly certain there's no way to tell what she might speak. Lycanthropes typically know the language of whatever society they grew up in, and since she hasn't changed back there's no way of telling. Still, it'd be a safe bet she can speak Common; unless she's uncivilized completely and grew up an orphan, most races can speak Taldane. As for her wounds, the flesh around the trap's teeth is raw and hairless, clearly having regenerated magically after what seems to be some very violent thrashing. A strange, black substance clings to her wounds and seems to keep them from bleeding further, and also looks to be bound around a horrific chest wound that almost must have pierced her heart.
Gallidren and Jericho both examine the creature, determining different things. Jericho senses some powerful magical auras around the werewolf but he isn't sure what's causing them. Gallidren seems to realize there's nothing magical the werewolf seems to be vulnerable to, his own musings seem to spark a new train of thought for Jhod. "This looks like the Plane of Shadow," he says, running a hand through his thick beard. He turns to Gallidren, trying to work through it with the elf wizard. "Clearly some sort of magic from that plane, but that doesn't seem like where it's coming from, which is odd." He looks to Prophet and Marcus, a bit more urgency in his voice.
"I will make preparations to cleanse this place of whatever evil lurks within it, but if you two could tell me more about what you saw it would be helpful." He sighs, looking up the massive carved stag's head. "If you both shared the dream it's either important, or it wasn't a dream. If it wasn't, things like the geography or weather where you were might help narrow it down." Jhod sets down his pack on one of the stones and rummages through it, pulling out several candles along with incense and other clerical items. "We'll have a few hours, at any rate. Oh, and anything more you all have discovered about this place might be useful as well. The more I know, the easier this will be."
"It was rocky. We took shelter in a cave. We could see the terrain for a long ways. It was sparse. Not a lot growing. Like scrubland and mountain terrain, but it felt more desolate than that. I mostly remember the giant bird and the throne with the eye."
"It was rocky. We took shelter in a cave. We could see the terrain for a long ways. It was sparse. Not a lot growing. Like scrubland and mountain terrain, but it felt more desolate than that. I mostly remember the giant bird and the throne with the eye."
Kahurangi regarded the diction Marcus used to discern his appraisal of the land. He thinks tundra and the like aren't ripe with life and resources. They are - for those kinds who are suited to it. We'll have to adapt.
"I... no, I'm not sure what that could be. A throne with an eye? I can't say that sounds familiar," Jhod says with a sigh, sitting himself down slowly as he begins preparations to cleanse the temple. After about an hour Jhod gathers the group toward the mouth of the cavern; a book bound in rough-hewn leather sits in the old priest's lap and he's drawn a large circle of salt and iron shavings that he instructs the group to sit within. Twelve candles--so chosen for the holy number of Erastil--surround the edges of the circle, flickering with a dim light in the otherwise dim clearing. Once everyone is seated he breathes in deeply and opens his book.
"We sit here in what was once a consecrated place," Jhod states firmly, his voice losing a bit of the feebleness that old age had wrought. "A temple to Old Deadeye, no doubt built in one of the many failed conquests into the Stolen Lands in ages past. A true holy site of Erastil; built amidst an unclaimed and unexplored frontier, fields ripe for the planting of seeds that might have one day become communities. We gather here in what was once a holy place, now cloaked in the shadow that has threatened to engulf the Stolen Lands and the brave few who call it home, to restore the glory of Erastil to its long-since forgotten place." Jhod pauses and the air around you feels cold, the light of the candles growing dim when the wind picks up and threatens to put them out. In front of Jhod the werewolf seems to growl and strain against her bonds with a renewed vigor, snapping her jars toward the old priest with untold ferocity. "Erastil's blessing has left this land, but I seek now to restore his sight to this once holy place and again have it blossom with his glory. Purge the blight that creeps from this temple out into the Stolen Lands and cut out its heart, and bring peace and harmony back to the lives of those who call this place home and may do so in the future." The wind picks up again, this time with much more force as it drives an unnatural chill into your bones and blows away a few bits of salt and iron to leave the circle a misshapen mess. The werewolf strains again on the traps that hold her fast and with a worrying groan one of the pitons in the ceiling snaps, leaving the werewolf with one (still severely injured) arm free. As she reaches down the pry the trap off her arm with her jaws, the sense of dread Marcus and Prophet felt earlier returns with renewed vigor, this time felt by all who are present. "Erastil, fill this place with your holy presence and shine a light into the darkness," Jhod says at last, and in a moment the clearing is quiet again. The wind dies immediately and you all again feel the warm rays of the sun on your faces, your heart no longer racing.
As Jhod finishes his last words, the werewolf convulses and thrashes madly, as if trying to rend him limb from limb. She does this for several more seconds, the fur and muscle mass melting from her body as her once massive forearm falls free of the trap. The shadows that once clung to her form have vanished, her grievous wounds now no longer bleeding; without the magic to sustain her, it seems her life has met its end. Now in a human form, the woman's dead body lies naked on the carved stone floor of the temple. She looks to have been about forty or fifty years old, her face now serene as opposed to the vicious snarl it held in her final moments. Jhod breathes heavily and slowly rises to his feet, his face forlorn as he looks upon her body.
"I have fought back the blight from this place, but it will return if not kept in check," he says, turning again to the party. "Something else holds the key to purging it for good, but I know now what it might be." He looks out over the forest clearing the temple resides in, and clears his throat. "I will remain here, I think; I will keep watch over this place and keep it safe until you all return... hopefully with a way to cleanse it permanently."
Watching in wonder as the man completed the ritual, Kahurangi could not help but be impressed - and humbled - Jhod had aided them. "You must surely have the blessing of Erastil to cleanse this place as you did."
The half-orc approached the now-clam woman's corpse. "That was an act of mercy. Nobody should be made to suffer as she was." It was not the fact she was a lycanthrop that bothered Kahurangi, but she constantly tore against her bonds, reforming injuries that had to be excruciating.
"Jonathan, you do not want to stay here as a kindred spirit to Erastil? If not, being able to work a similar cleansing could be useful in the places ahead." Kahurangi looked off to the horizon. "It seems we have a wide land ahead of us."
Chief Rongo seemed to agree, perching on the shaman's shoulder for what seemed to be a long road ahead.
"That was beautiful," Annika says is a soft, reverent whisper. "The blessings of the gods are beyond compare." The swordswoman stops and clasps her hands together, murmuring a brief prayer for the departed over the woman's body. At least she was now released from her suffering and, hopefully, on to someplace better. "I believe we should at least take the time to bury her while we're here. She may have been our enemy, but we shouldn't leave her like this. Then we can get on with our mission."
Gallidren will fall to his knees and will pray with Jhod. "Father, I will do everything in my power to assist you with the consecration of this holy temple."
He then turns to the others. "The werewolf is dead and the temple has been freed from the shadow - our work here is done. Now it is time for us to complete our exploration of the Green Belt. I look forward to driving the Stag Lord and his bandit minions from this land."
Marcus wasn't much of a religious sort, but if he could say he followed any god, it was Erastil. He wanted to, at any rate. Old Deadeye was good. Marcus wasn't. He was trying though. Hopefully that counted for something.
He wasn't sure what to feel as the ritual cleansed the taint from the shrine. He could feel the difference in the air of the place. The difference was overwhelming. Relief. That was probably the best description. He smiled and wiped his eyes. Something was in them all of a sudden.
Priests. Miracles. Helping. Making a g+!&!$n difference. It had to count for something.
Maybe he was on the right track after all.
He cleared his throat and nodded to Annika. "Yeah. Come on, let's go dig a grave."
The young shaman offered to help dig the resting place with the implements they had at hand before they left. Some dignity in death is a bit of respect we can give her at least.
He stared at the plot a moment after they were done. Grandfather, did you have a similar spot?
The bill of the platypus was still upon the youth's shoulder as he pondered. Kahurangi then turned away.
"Let's set out. I want some fresh land to close the chapter of this sadness and open a new one on our adventure."
It takes Annika and Marcus some time to dig the grave, making sure it's deep enough that she won't be unearthed or disturbed by wandering creatures. Once done, Jhod recites a prayer over her grave and gives her Erastil's blessing, before sighing heavily again and leaning on his walking staff. "It seems the beast that plagued Corran's Pass has finally been dealt with," he says, a small smile on his face despite the somber discussion. "I don't know where you all are heading, but you've... you all came to my aid when I found myself in a dark place. I used to aid the apothecary, and I have some skill in brewing potions; it would be the least I could do to aid you in your own endeavors." Jhod thinks for a moment, cocking his head to the side as if unsure of how to change the subject. "Someone ought to let the town know they're safe; I can do it myself, although they may appreciate hearing it from you. I wish you all safe travels, and may Old Deadeye remain ever watchful over you."
"We'll stop by and make sure to tell them that their wolf problem won't be a problem anymore," Annika agrees. "And we'll stop by from time to time to check in if we can. I'm sure that with some of the stranger things out here, we might need your help again. For now, we have a river monster to kill and more than a few sightings of odd creatures to confirm."
Quietly assisting in the burial of the lycan woman while listening to everyone speak. Taking a moment to thank Jhod before joining the conversation with the others,"Was there not a hermit we wanting to see as well? Though yes we should tend to those issues first."
Jericho is quiet during the entire cleansing. He tenses as it seems like the werewolf might break free and ravage the old man. But, awed by the old man's composure, he remains still. Once the event is done, and Marcus and Annika begin digging a grave for the dead woman, Jericho moves a short distance away and says a short prayer to Sarenrae in gratitude for the opportunity to witness such a triumph of the light over the darkness.
Once the others have finished and made such farewells as they may, Jericho waves to Jhod and stands quietly by his horse.
"We'll stop by and make sure to tell them that their wolf problem won't be a problem anymore," Annika agrees. "And we'll stop by from time to time to check in if we can. I'm sure that with some of the stranger things out here, we might need your help again. For now, we have a river monster to kill and more than a few sightings of odd creatures to confirm."
The disturbance of the waterways bothered Kahu, for being raised on an island, he understood how important the body of fluid was for life. Here, that body - moving as it was - was the river.
"Let's look into that monster. I'm guessing it's not as complex as the woman we just laid to rest?" Yet if there is one such creature, it had to come from somewhere. There are probably more.
He thrust himself over Chana's back, nudging her next to Jericho's horse.
Creon stays silent through the ceremony and thereafter. The power of the Gods inspire more horror and revulsion in him than awe especially after all that he has seen. Still laying the creature to rest was a good thing both for it and the people that it terrorized.
The android nods to Jhod as the group begins to exit the now Consecrated area.
"Statement. Our primary directive will never be fulfilled so long as the Stag Lord and his bandits are allowed to roam these lands freely. Their downfall must be the goal wee seek to achieve first".
"It ain't that simple, Creon. Remember what I told ya back at the camp we tracked the werewolves to? We ain't got the chops to take on the Stag in his home base. We gotta nip at his heels a while. Disrupt his operation. Take out his forces. Break up his flow of coin and supplies."
"Best way of doing all that us to make sure people can move safely without sticking to the roads all the time. Clearing out dangers near the trading post is a good first step in taking down the Stag Lord."
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"Jonathan, you do not want to stay here as a kindred spirit to Erastil? If not, being able to work a similar cleansing could be useful in the places ahead." Kahurangi looked off to the horizon. "It seems we have a wide land ahead of us."
The hunter messes his beard as he thinks his answer. He shrugs as he speaks to the half-orc "Nay. I mean,aye, I reckon it would be a pleasure to stay in holy ground and relax... but tis not the life I chosen. Ye see, Kahurangi, I'm more of an 'deeds as my sacred duty' priest than a sedentary one, been like that since I donned the Quiver."
As the others mention the different possibilities, Jonathan adds "Plus my father and his father before him dwelled in the Kingdoms, we called it home. Wouldn't be a most noble quest for me than t'help ye all reclaim it from monsters, bandits and other scum. My legacy to the world, helping rebuild the communities that once grew here..." he speaks the last sentence as if daydreaming before returning to his usual self "Aye, I will go with ye all if ye allow me."
Departing from the temple, the group arrives in Corran's Pass later that evening. The townsfolk are relieved to see you all alive and well, especially Father Kriss. He explains that a few days ago the strange black substance that prevented her wounds from healing disappeared, allowing her to recover through his magic; while she's still in the process of recovering completely, she is no longer in danger of dying from untreated wounds. Explaining the situation takes a fair amount of time, but eventually he hears it all and disseminates it throughout the villagers. The group spends the night within the shrine again, and sets out early in the morning for the river with the thanks of the villagers of Corran's Pass following them beyond the edges of the village. The river is another few hours away still, and soon enough the group finds the river dam they found before.
The now-rotting corpse of one of the bandits lies mostly eaten on the riverbank, and the choppy water rushes up against the makeshift wooden barricade and churns through it, occasionally carrying away some brush and debris. It's unclear what might have built such a thing, as it doesn't look solid enough to be a beaver dam or anything like that.
"This must be the bandit that met the monster. Be cautious."
Jericho gives a cursory glance to the dam and dismisses it, turning his attention to their surroundings. But mostly, he is just enjoying the sunny day.
Perception
"Observation. This skeleton has been here for some time, the bones picked clean of flesh in fact. One or two of the skeletons in the dam have intact goods".
"Suggestion. It may make sense for someone to inspect those bags".
Creon unslings his bow and nocks an arrow ready to cover anyone who does make the attempt.
Not seeing what all the fuss way about, Kahurangi volunteered himself. "I'll go. If I fall into the river, I can manage the swim. Grandfather, can you watch from above?"
The shaman made his way over the difficult "fortifications" to seek-out the bags and their contents. If they dispatched the bandits, my new companions can certainly hold their own. This doesn't seem to be of any animal's make I know, but why are they so wary of it?
"Thanks for your cover, Creon."
Nodding, "Thank you Kahurangi."
As Kahurangi clambers out onto the makeshift dam, some of the stones and branches crumble away beneath his feet. WHile he manages to keep his footing, it's still quite precarious. When he makes it about halfway across the dam--standing on the solid ground of the island in the middle of the river--the group watches as a massive serpentine creature erupts from the beneath the surface of the water and lunges at the half-orc. Kahurangi manages to twist out of the way when he hears the beast lurch forward, leaving the monster between him and the others. Seconds later another huge monster surges forth and clambers up onto the island beside Kahurangi, and a number of smaller ones scramble up into the shallows toward the party. The biggest two are nearly nine feet long, while the others still look to be about five or six at least. The monsters snarl hungrily at the party and bare their fangs, ready to fight.
Initiative!
"I thought there was one river monster!" Annika goes for her blade and attacks the nearest monster.
Marcus almost fell on his butt as the giant snake thing erupted from the water.
"Gha- What the hell are these things?"
He lashed out with his spear-
Then he threw himself backwards into a roll to get clear of the thing's reach.