Connor, slumped in the saddle, pulls Cinder over towards the boy and dismounts unsteadily. With a grim, determined smile, his teeth covered in blood, he takes two steps toward Larisa and the child. He then promptly collapses in the mud.
As Connor collapses in the mud a look of horror dawn on Larisa's face. "Connor!" She wails, dashing to his side. Ignoring the filth she drops to her knees, cradling him as she pulls his face into her lap. "Nonono, it's going to be okay. Just hold on."
Tearfully she unloads every healing spell she has into him.
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Ezekial stands in front of the dying whisp. He is breathing hard, maybe hyperventalating. His kukri drips a strange ichor that shifts in color. His eyes are unfocused for a moment. He blinks. Is it truly dead? he asks. Is this demon that tempted me so finally ended? His eyes focus and he says Priase Erastil indeed.
With a gasp as the cold healing energy courses through his body and knits his wounds, Connor's eyes shoot back open and he looks startled for a moment to be where he is, his eyes dart as he searches for words and he settles on, "The boy ... he is OK?"
Veronica says soothingly to the lad, "Just hold on - my friends and I will get you out of here."
She turns to look over her shoulder and sees that Zeke is still standing numbly by the remains of the wisp. She looks back at the boy and says, "I'm going to get my friend who can get you out of those bindings." With that she heads back to Zeke.
"Zeke?" she says, laying a hand carefully on the back of his shoulder. "Are you... can I help?" She cocks her head to one side slightly, regarding his ichor-stained kukri, then looking back to the various stunned emotions playing across his face.
The boy becomes noticeably calmer when Veronica removes his fear. "Thank you for rescuing me! They had me days in this mud. That creepy green light just hovered over me the whole time ... watching. The lizard men ... they thought it was a demon god or somethin'. Is it a god?"
"Yes, everyone is okay." Larisa says to the Connor, stroking his cheek with her thumb. Turning her head slightly to look at the boy she frowns. "No, it was just an evil spirit who by the sounds of things fooled these people into think it was." She looks around the camp, confused. "Speaking of people, were are the woman and children? Only the warriors fled."
With the battle over, you now survey the compound's mud huts. The village’s central mound stands fully fifteen feet high, dwarfing the surrounding huts. Bones of all shapes and sizes crown the dome, sticking out of the dried mud at erratic angles. Fresh marsh grass has been scattered around the mound’s perimeter, and two spears, hung with feathers and other fetishes and topped with the painted skulls of fanged lizards, flank the mound’s entrance. The bright green hide of some large swamp reptile serves as the hut’s entrance flap.
Within the central hut, perfumed smoke hangs heavy in the close, almost uncomfortably warm confines of this mound. A couple of red-tinted lanterns hang from the ceiling and brightly colored woven mats drape the walls and carpet the dirt floor. A small mound of coals glows in a fire pit the center of the room.
Searching the mud huts, you find the following:
- On the lizards, two leather collar studded with rough-cut shards of quartz
- The lizard king has a potion, finely crafted leather armor, a gleaming trident and two gold arm bands (worth 100 gp each)
- The Lizard King has collected some treasures in his hut, including a coral crown embedded with lapis lazuli worth 500 gp, a malachite statuette of a serpentine dragon worth 200 gp, various furs worth a total of 300 gp, and 575 gp. There are also three sets of jewelry, worth 1000 gp each.
- Within a side hut you find a masterwork cold iron longspear, a
feather token, a ring, animal skins worth a total of 100 gp, 3 citrines (worth 50 gp each), and 119 gp in assorted coins.
Seres blows air across the tip of his wand, nodding grimly at the destruction of the whisp. He walks up to stand beside Zeke. "Do you think it was the same demon we encountered in the shrine of Erastil? The one that murdered Perlivash and Tyg-Tutter-Tut?"
"Speaking of people, were are the woman and children? Only the warriors fled."
"Possibly just a warcamp. It looks too small to be a real village," Seres replies, looking around the swampy grounds. "That means there's probably more out there in the wilds..."
"Perhaps with the wisp defeated, we can get the others to realize the futility of fighting," says Veronica hopefully.
"Come, gather around. Let Erastil's grace wash over and revitalize us."
Larisa rides north to return Tig to New Hope. Tig Tannersen's distraught parents are overjoyed by his return - they thank Larisa profusely. Stories of the benevolence of the kingdom's rulers quickly spread .
By the end of the day, Larisa rejoins with the group as they follow the tracks of the marauding trolls deeper into the forest.
Once Tig is safely unbound and away, Veronica returns to Zeke and says, "Are you all right? What was that all about? Have you encountered that thing before?" She whistles for Moondancer to heel, and the sleek wolf rejoins her and waits by her feet.
Once Larisa rejoins the group she'll get back to scouting for the trolls.
The troll tracks turn southwest and eventually lead near the site of several mutilated deer carcasses. The carcasses have been picked clean of most of their meat. Your horses begin to flare their noses and dance around uneasily.
The troll tracks continue to the southwest.
You spot a green dragon camouflaged in the trees above you.
As the group heads southwest with the occasional stop, Veronica continues to interact with Moondancer, feeding the wolf and trying to teach her new tricks. She also keeps an eye on the mournful Zeke, wondering when he might open up.
When the team dismounts to examine the troll tracks, Veronica crouches down, then seems puzzled.
"Larisa, look over here," she says. "These aren't troll-tracks. They're... something else? Big and... I dunno, are these dragon-tracks?" she says with a nervous laugh.
Larisa kneels by the tracks, examining them as she casts a spell.
As she drinks in the air, tasting it, Larisa easily identifies the scent of dragon. Taking a few testing whiffs her head slowly rotates up, looking into the canopy above. Slowly her eyes widen. "Hello." She says in draconic, a note of fear in her voice as she takes a knee, bowing her head respectfully.
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Seres blows air across the tip of his wand, nodding grimly at the destruction of the whisp. He walks up to stand beside Zeke. "Do you think it was the same demon we encountered in the shrine of Erastil? The one that murdered Perlivash and Tyg-Tutter-Tut?"
I do. At least I hope it was. I hate to think that there could be more than one of those evil things. I’d like to go back to the shrine and see if its still there when we have the chance.
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Once Tig is safely unbound and away, Veronica returns to Zeke and says, "Are you all right? What was that all about? Have you encountered that thing before?" She whistles for Moondancer to heel, and the sleek wolf rejoins her and waits by her feet.
Indeed I have Veronica. We have, before you joined us. It, temped me, offeriing me much and perhaps an easier path. Easier paths are always tempting,.At the time we stood no hope of defeating it and it seemed so much more powerful than even the power we saw today. With Eriastil’s help I resisted.
Veronica puts a comforting hand on Zeke's arm and says, "Oh... that makes sense now. I'm sorry, I didn't know. But you did defeat it, after all - both then, when it tried to tempt you, and now, when it tried to end you." She gives Zeke a warm smile. "Erastil may help, but your decisions are ultimately up to you. I'm glad you made it."
Raff fails to spot the dragon entirely, instead raising an eyebrow at larisas behavior. "The hell are you kneeling at?"
Seres is distracted, withdrawn in his own thoughts, and completely oblivious.
Larisa draws her weapon, loading it as she pulls it free. "Dragon above us!" She shouts to the party.
Connor catches Larisa's eye and looks up in time to pull Cinder around and ready his lance.
Larisa and Connor see a green scaled dragon camouflaged in the tree canopy - about 30’ above you. The creature is slowly lowering its head below the canopy towards you.
Larisa loads her weapon and warns the party of the impending danger.
The dragon opens its fanged maw and breathes an acid cloud over Ezekial, Raff, Connor and Cinder. .
; 1=C, 2=E, 3=L, 4=S, 5=R, 6=V
; 1=C, 2=E, 3=L, 4=S, 5=R, 6=V
; 1=C, 2=E, 3=L, 4=S, 5=R, 6=V
; 1=C, 2=E, 3=L, 4=S, 5=R, 6=V
; fail
; success
Connor swears and moves Cinder out of the cloud, dropping his lance and then drawing and throwing an axe as he bellows a challenge at the dragon.
;
Veronica moves to get cover behind a tree, gesturing for Moondancer to follow, and casts a quick spell to aid her bowfire.
Ezekial slips into the shadows of the nearby foliage after being hit by the acid cloud.
Veronica infuses her bow with divine power.
Connor spurs Cinder forward and launches an axe at the dragon, which hits the creature square in the chest.
The dragon roars and dives out of the tree canopy and swoops down at Connor - it jaws rend through his armor .
*twang*
Larsia stares up at the canopy, awestruck by the dragon as it descends. As it attacks Connor she shakes herself out of her stupor, studying the target as she runs a hand over her weapon, imbuing it with baneful magic before firing at the beast.