After a bite of food to sate the worst pangs of hunger, Adrien begins explaining.
"I had a frightening dream, last night, and it made me rethink about some things. I've introduced myself to you all as Peacock, a fey-in-becoming, but I've come to realise that this is a dangerous path for me to take.
"Last night, as I slept, I met the darker side of... all of this." Peacock's wings flare out for all explanation.
"I'd been seeing this transformation as a blessing and a new chance at life, but I've been shown that there's a second edge to that sword. The gift of the fey comes with strings attached, and I don't know if I should follow these strings.
"Because of that, I think it would be best if you knew more of the human me, not only the fey. I hope that, if I come to lose that side of myself, you may be able to call him back out where I may not be able.
"My true name is Adrien Fletcher. I am the son and apprentice of Vincent Fletcher. I've fled from the village of Dawn's Vale after my transformation, because..." Adrien pauses for a moment, uncertain of how to proceed.
"... on second thought, please just take my word for it that going back is not an option. The village is very wary of fey, and they would not believe that I am who I claim to be."
"The fey have showed me goodwill, but I also have reasons to fear them. I know some of you seek a cure to your condition. I do not know if that is what I seek just yet. I hope to find answers in following you three."
"However, it would not be fair of me not to warn you: Legends speak of the fey acting with frightening unpredictability. Their morals are said to be strange and unpredictable, and I do not yet know how much of that mindset I may develop."
"Until I know more, I think it would be best if I took care to not lose myself to my fey side. For that reason, please, call me Adrien, so I'll remember where I come from."
Sphene looks on as Peacock talks and becomes Adrien, telling part of his life story.
"For myself of couse I can Adrien, and I will do my best to aid you as you wish"
The small gold Dragon says to her friend.
"Adrien, that is a wonderful name."
She would take a deep breath. "We should burn or bury the bodies. We also need to decide what to do to those in the box." She had ate lightly tucking the rest into the satchel she was carrying. "We also should go pick up all the things I dropped on the other side of the whip trees. The extra stuff might come in handy. We can make a camp here at the base so we have a place to withdraw to if exploring the ruins goes badly."
"Ill go get what we left, should not take me long, Adrien, would you like to help"
The little gold takes off into the air heading to get the things they left.
The two easily retrieve the last of everyone's gear. Thankfully, the whipweeds are not aggressive, although their stink lingers in the packs a bit.
With Sphene around, fire is no problem, although the fairly damp region means that dry wood is hard to find. But eventually the bodies are burned to everyone's satisfaction, even though Sphene might feel a little taxed and ready for another meal.
Kane is able to note the head of the longspear carried by one of the creatures was actually made of cold iron.
It is just about midday when the group is ready to move.
Jazzai would gather things people didn't want and didn't want to carry putting it in their makeshift campsite. Figuring it couldn't hurt to much she took one of the longbows and ten of the arrows. along with the spear she had from the gnolls.
Peacock remembers approximately where it dropped, and is able to recover it. Kane is able to tell this, too, is made from cold iron.
Shene not having clothing or any kind of normal humanoid body parts takes nothing other than what she needs to carry, Water skin and food in her front forfeet.
"I think if we head to the wetland where the building was we can forage some more. I'm feeling hungry again. Then if you happy head into the old building to see what we can find."
As she can't walk and carry at the same time she flys along with the walking group. Gliding to save energy.
Adrien visibly stays far from the weapons after handing them to Kane. He's unsure of how much of that weakness he's inherited, and has no interest in finding out.
Jazzai would pull the food she hadn't eaten and hands it to Sphene.
"You need the energy. I'm full anyways." Slowly making her way in the direction that the others were going using the spear she had as a walking stick to help keep from running into things.
"Thank you Jazzai, we will find more soon, "
She eats hungrily then picks up what she can carry then sets off after the others.
The group sets out at last, moving in the direction of the swampy area and the ruins spotted by Peacock earlier in the day. Before long, the valley widens into a series of shallow pools and wetland until turning into an actual swamp. By choosing to stay on the ground, the group doesn't have to dodge the hanging branches of the cyprus and willow, but instead must pick their way through the different channels and patches of dryish land.
While wading through a shallow bog, Jazzai's keen senses pick up the sloshing sounds of wormlike creatures moving towards everybody.
Flys down to the dry clump of ground.
"Over here"
Jazzai gasped. "Worm like creatures in the water. There." She said using her spear to point where they were roughly. Jazzai would start backing away heading towards Sphene ready to strike if they got close.
looks around for any stones once she can carry and drop.
Peacock, Kane and Sphene can see the ripples in the water and three murky shapes beneath the surface. They appear medium-sized. Sphene is unable to spot any rocks in this marshy region, unfortunately.
Hovering five feet above the water surface, Peacock focuses on a spell, hoping to diffuse the menace before it can pose a threat.
I can't allow myself to give in to the feys, but still, I may as well use what I have.
Kane was always amazed at Jazzai's atonement with her surroundings. He never would have noticed whatever the creatures in the water had done to alert her to their presence.
He leveled his polearm and waited in case they exited the water.
"Everyone please keep behind me."
With Kane and Jazzai in the water, Adrian flying above, and Sphene on the nearby patch of land, the ripples make straight for Kane and Jazzai.
The first two attack Kane, while the third wriggles around to attack Jazzai.
The shapes under the water resolve themselves into pale, bloated wormlike creatures with sucker mouths. Neither of the two that swim to the nearest target are able to penetrate Kane's defenses, but the one that skirted the paladin manages to wriggle up to the former farmgirl, its mouth probing and grasping.
These are giant leeches, which are vermin that latch on to their prey and drain blood. As vermin, they are immune to mind-affecting effects. Salt burns them like acid, and while they move well in water, they are very limited on land.
If it is still wiggling towards her by some miracle she will strike out. If not she will continue to retreat towards land.
"Miss Jazzai! Look out!" Adrien shouts from his vantage point, before a strange giggle escapes him. "Tsk! Tsk! Don't you dare, leeches! Good night!" Peacock cackles, traces of Sylvan making themselves known in his voice.
Nice strike, Kane!
Kane's tactical readiness means that his blade strikes nearly before he knew his opponents were upon him. His first strike slashes one of the leeches bearing down on him, drawing blood. His second slash is far more deadly, skewering the parasite neatly and ending its threat before it could get around him.
Peacock's spell goes off, but the near mindlessness of these vermin is not influenced by the fey magics.
Sphene paws around at the damp earth a bit looking for a rock or something to use at range. Unfortunately, outside of a few rotted logs, she is unable to find anything.
Get out of the water! she advises.
"Go." Kane says to Jazzai. "I'll keep it's attention. Get out of the water."
Kane holds his polearm in his off hand and pulls his mace, slamming it down.
She will try to move faster when she withdraws to the island and snags herself on something falling into the water with a splash.
"My magic isn't doing anything!"
Adrien nocks an arrow into his bow and takes aim for the remaining leech, careful not to hit Kane. In his hesitation, he misses entirely.
As Jazzai flounders in the water, Kane easily dispatches the wounded leech with a well-placed strike that splashes swamp water everywhere.
The churning water, however, completely confounded Adrien and his cautious bowshot goes astray.
Sphene takes note of the remaining leech still grasping at the hooded paladin and launches herself into the air. She wheels about and splashes down in flanking position, her jaws snapping.
Her jaws chomp on its rubbery hide, scoring it lightly. The leech still presses its attack on Kane, heedless of its injury and the deaths of the others.
Jazzai would try to recover and right herself searching for the spear she had dropped.
Sphene, now in position, launches into a flurry of claws and fangs amidst the churning water surrounding the melee.
Managing to find the spear with some searching in the water she would slosh her way slowly to the dry mound and sighs squeezing out her clothing. Checking to make sure each of the containers in her bag stayed closed.
"What were those things? And how much further to this building?" She asked shuddering.
Looks at Jazzia,
"I do not know, but if cooked so you think we can eat them Jazzia?"
They looked sort of like the leeches my uncle uses in his surgeries to draw out tainted blood. These were much larger though." Kane said wading out of the water.
Jazzai blinked at Sphene. "Well, if you bring it to me I might be able to identify it and tell you if I know it is edible." She didn't sound sure of that. Hearing Kane's words she shook her head. "VERY bad eating. It can give you all sorts of issues."
She started draining the water out of the satchel with a sigh.
Sphene nods and spits the bits out from her teeth, going back she picks up her things and go's into the air once more.
The group continues through the swamp, finally reaching the rising hillock on which the small stone keep is situated. From the keep, an overgrown stone path twists down into the remains of what had been a bridge or boardwalk-style path through the mire that is rotted and collapsed.
Not a huge amount of the keep is left standing. The rounded sections that make up the south and west walls are mostly intact, but the north is half-tumbled and the eastern wall has gaping holes in it. Vines and plant life have gripped the structure on all sides.
Looks at the fallen keep,
[b]"Adrian you have the gift of going unseen, think you can have a peak and see if any thing nasty waiting in there, fast fly around May help, then go ahead as we move p to it?"[b]
Kane looked at the ruined keep with a strange sense of serenity. Something about the structure seemed like "home" to him.
Jazzai looked at Sphene. To her unseen was an entirely different thing.
"Adrian, be careful. I don't want you hurt." Though her clothes had sort of dried she knew she would have to dry them out that night and that would require some privacy. That was for later though.
"Sir Kane, can you describe what you see?" she asked softly even as the weight of the satchel reminded her of the contents. Was her lot in life really going to be host to something like them and to never be herself. A continued drive and hunger to become more than she was. Or was she something entirely different. Either way the origins seemed the same. Blackness, shadow. Well at least it was her carrying the burden and not the others. They saw her as young, naive, quick to anger. She would continue to let them think that. Her life, didn't allow her to be young despite her years.
Not in the way Sphene's life of the street. Though hard, that still had normal rules for life. It was survival. Scratching the back of her head she thought about the things she had learned. Not only from them but from the spike. Jazzai had dare not test it though she had called on the dryad's gift of healing. She hoped that she would not have to use it. What would they think when they learn she could possibly take the magic from someone or something? That it altered how her brain worked, comprehended.
Sphene looked back at her fellows, Kane had a nostalgic look on his face, Jazzai was lost in her own thoughts and Adrian pensive, to be expected he had just been asked to place himself in possible danger for them.
Shene kept her thoughts to herself, she just looked back to the keep and trees. Her new Draconic face hard to read.
"When ever you ready Adrian, I will be right behind you"
"I'll be careful," Adrien nods. "Let's hope nothing too nasty is lurking in here. [b]"If you see a light moving in circles, I'll need your help. If it moves vertically, then it's safe to follow. If it moves horizontally, run." Peacock explains, figuring that a silent way to message the party would be better if something lurked within.
Camouflaging himself, Adrien snowly walks over to the building, prefering to not risk the sound of his wings alerting a possible creature, and takes a closer look around, to see what he can find.
As far as the party can tell, minus Jazzai's scent, Peacock has completely vanished.
Look at me, sneaking around. I really am one of them, am I not?
Sphene nods, then sees with blind sight Adrian move ahead and out of range. She flaps up to a tree with a view so she can keep a look out for his light signals.