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The caravan breaks up early in the morning. It takes a while to disable all the traps - but at 8 am you are on your way.
Toren feels thirsty throughout the morning - but he seems to be able to keep up. You cross a few patches of running water and are able to refill your water bottles.
You stop for lunch and it is the first time that the condition catches up with Toren.
-2 HP non lethal
You carry on after lunch - but Toren quickly discovers that even dwarven toughness seems unable to shake off his condition.
You are half an hour on your way when Toren needs a short rest.
-6 HP non lethal. (for -9 total)
Priscilla casts a Cure Light Wounds to ease his suffering.
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"Huff...puff...sorry...all...I jes...can't seem...to shake this."
Toren nods appreciatively at Priscilla's ministrations, "Lass, yer a damn fine care giver. Whew...that was what I needed but I still ain't right."
As the caravan begins to get moving again he looks at the wagon, "Maybe I should take that ride...pride be damned. I'm slowin' us down and that's jes dangerous."
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"Tha's not a bad idea Markus. I'm...sorry...everyone. I ain't used to be bein' a burden an' I shouldn't be."
Toren struggles out of his miscellaneous gear, and painstakingly unbuckles his studded leather. Each item is thrown down onto his shield, and he runs the polearm through the back straps to "lock" it into place.
"Yer right, this is better. I better keep tha scarf on though."
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Toren isn't sure if it is the time on the carriage or if the damage comes in waves. He seems to get slowly weaker - but at least he seems not to waste as quickly as after lunch.
But it seems the urge to drink is now so strong that he can't fight it without magic anymore.
HP lost during the 4 hour journey (all non-lethal)
2 + 1 + 3 + 2 for a total of 8 HP non lethal
The caravan lead stops to prepare for the night.
It is now 5:30 pm
Toren down 8 HP non lethal
This seems a magic affliction that you must have suffered when in the room with the cells.
It seems that you slowly dry out. Your body seems to have resigned and seems not strong enough to prevent any damage. But at least the damage suffered seems not to increase.
It would be deadly if this would happen - or if you run out of magical healing before you can get rid of the affliction.
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"Thank'ee again Priscilla. Without you and yer goddess, I'd surely be some wolf's rations by now. I'm starting to wonder if this jes' ain't natural. Ever since I stepped into that room with the cells, this feelin' of bein' dried out and never slakin' me thirst has been present. There musta been some kind o' magic I fell prey to in there."
Toren looks around at the group, "Maybe I was cursed or summin like tha'."
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"Priscilla...maybe you can ask Desna for some help on Toren's behalf once again before you go to sleep,"
Gregor fills as many buckets as he can with cold water and fills a cup for the weakened Toren every few minutes...fetching more water as the buckets run dry.
You will not die my friend. Not like this,
Gregor grabs Tessa from Toren's pile of gear and props the shield against him while he sleeps. Maybe he imagined it, but Gregor swears that Toren began resting easier after that.
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Your sleep is restless. You dream again about the hole. You try to escape - but you can't. And slowly you realise that this is the place you die as no fighting can save you from the lack of water.
You get weaker and lose all hope. Slowly everything gets darker until you realise that someone dies - and suddenly there is nothing.
Toren seems to be plagued by nightmares. You can see that they take their toll. His skin is dry and all the water se not to help.
Midnight approaches and you notice a change. His breath suddenly is more even. He seems no longer to struggle. His skin seems no longer completely dry.
He seems weak and exhausted - but now it seems just a sleep of exhaustion and no longer a matter of life and death.
You wake up early next morning. You still feel slightly weak (- 8 HP non lethal) as the hours since your nightmares stopped haven't been enough to completely bring you back to your full self. But you are sure by later in the day you will be your full self again.
And you realise that someone died in that hole - someone who reached out to you when you where in the room with the cells.
But that someone wasn't you and you seem to have thrown off his influence on you.
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"Gregor...Priscilla...all of yeh. Thank yah'll so much fer watchin' over me. I feel...better. I'm still pretty weak right now, but I think I'll be gettin' better. I owe all o' yeh. Drink and food're on me when we get to town." He takes a deep breath, "I dreamed about this hole I was in, an' I couldn't get out no matter my fightin'. I finally realized I was gonna die. And it happened. It kinda looked like that hole in them cells we saw. I think...I was possessed...or cursed...or somethin' from who died in there. I think maybe...they're gone from me for good now."
He gets down off the cart, takes his time to find Tessa, realizing it was propped against him in the caravan. He sees the bucket of cold water near him and the cup in Gregor's hand. He smiles and shakes his head. "Next time I get back to my gemfindin'...yer all gettin' something. Cut and polished."
He looks at Chelsea and grins, "I reckon that means two fer you young fiery lass!"
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Priscilla thanks Desna profusely for aiding Torren through this difficult journey. She is still curious as to the source of the strange ailment. She is also worried that she has found no clues during her mission that may aid the Lodge.
Jandri approaches you before you finally leave the caravan
We found this shortly after you left to destroy the Hobgoblin hide-out. It seems a courier got mauled by the undead and died close to our camp. You might want to take it with you to Absalom.
With these words he hands over a badge and a scroll tube.
The badge is an Aspis Badge. And the scroll tube are documents stolen from the Grand Lodge.
