Worried curing the noble may take some days, Dro'gan asks the hard questions.
"Should we send for a more powerful priest? Or take the Baron to one? I'm not trying to undercut Meraki's abilities here, but she is young and if we really are trying to save him..."
This causes Dro'gan to suddenly re-think about Meraki's questioning her knowledge of her goddess...
...but is easily distracted by the Baron shifting in unconsciousness.
"It may take days to convince one of Abadar's faithful to make the trek, and I doubt we can transport the Baron anywhere in his current state. We're here now, so we're the ones who have to do something about it."
Meraki returns to her prayers and tries once again.
Amandine isn't the praying type. She'd always described herself as a follower or Milani rather than a worshipper. She read the theology but did not pray. She found Milani's ideals to be inspiring and worth striving for. But placing faith in her, in the sense of believing in a divine hand working in her life, hadn't been something she'd ever done.
But now Amandine thinks the time has come to make a plea for any help that might conceivably be given. She lowers her head and starts to pray softly.
The Baron's men watch with rapt attention as Meraki twice attempts to call down her goddess' power to undo the witches' curse, and twice they watch as the divine light is fought off by wisps of blackness that writhe off the Baron's body like worms on an infected tooth.
Thankfully, owing to Amandine's impeccable charm and diplomacy, the Baron's men do not take this failure as a betrayal - nor do they feel the need to avenge their fallen comrade, accepting it as an unfortunate accident arising from the miserable circumstances that have long gripped Jambis and the manor.
"I suppose miracles aren't easy to come by, these days," Master Mosle says mournfully. He inches closer to his bound liege and examines his still monstrous body.
"Peculiar. I would have expected him to have stirred by now, fighting to break free from his bonds."
Dro'gan suspects that while Meraki's spells could not breach the curse, they have lulled the transmogrified Baron Telus into a torpor - perhaps buying you some time to either try again or conceive of another plan. He also suspects that more than simply Nocticula's touch is at work here; perhaps Milani also spared a sliver of influence.
Looking doubtful, Dro'gan speculates.
"The magic could be keeping him sedated by suppressing the curse a little each time, even thought it fails. Keep trying! This could be a good sign...I think...that the gods are with us!"
Meraki, feeling a mix of disappointment, shame, and frustration with her failures, stands and strides from the chamber, only saying "I need some air, I'm sorry."
Out there, in the light of the moon, she takes down her amulet, a moon with a seven-pointed crown, from around her neck and takes hold of it in both hands. With closed eyes, she brings it to her forehead and speaks quietly to it, or rather the entity it represents.
"I don't know if this man earned what happened to him, or if he deserves a chance to redeem himself, but you taught me that it's not about deserving. You showed me that we have the power to chart our own futures, but this curse took that away from him. It feels indulgent to ask you for anything more, when you've already given me so much, but I am asking you now: help me return the future that was stolen from him."
Taking a deep breath, she lowers the symbol to hold it against her heart, and looks back up at the moon, waiting for...something. A sign, maybe.
Amandine sucks on her front teeth with her tongue while thinking.
We've come all this way, and there seems to be at least a chance...
"If we must stay, we will stay. Master Mosle, if we must wait for midnight tomorrow night, we will need to be more certain the Baron is well restrained. Can you help us?"
Meraki's introspection is interrupted by the sounds of wings fluttering upon the night. A flock of bats has taken flight, emerging from their roosts within the ruins of Jambis. They fly past the moon, and Meraki counts a total of seven that gaily dance a circle around the moon, like black gems around a glowing crown, before they continue on their way to hunt insects on the night.
Meraki watches the bats intently until they leave her sight, and she replaces the amulet around her neck with a smile and a renewed feeling of purpose. She whispers thanks to her divine patron before turning about and striding back into the manor, full of confidence.
"My Lady is with us," she announces, in lieu of any greeting or explanation to the people she had walked out on only moments before.
She clutches her amulet tightly in one hand, which begins to glow softly as she tries one more time to free the man from his curse.
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Olivia yawns as the hours pass. She's used her spell to keep her up for the night.
When Meraki comes back to remove the curse, Olivia is a bit surprised. She's used to getting her spells back in the morning.
Hurriedly, Olivia goes back to the Baron spider. The only thing she can do to help, if it does anything at all, is to use a vial of holy water to anoint him for the blessing.
Meraki calls down the divine light of the Redeemer Queen upon the Baron - and this time the light breaks through the darkness.
It is a rather disgusting miracle, watching his unnaturally elongated limbs shrink back to mortal proportions, the chitinous scales slough from his shoulders and back, and the other spidery features fall away from the newly freed man.
He lies there, in his shredded finery, breathing peacefully but still deep asleep.
Dro’gan leans on his spear again, finally relaxing after a day of worry.
”Well…that was enlightening. And a bit vomit inducing. Let’s get the man a bed and some hot tea or something? I’m doubly sure he will not be in good shape for a while until he gets something like normal rest. Meraki? You may want to throw a blessing or healing magic on him. It might make him feel better after all that pain we put him through too”
Meraki allows herself a broad smile as the curse finally gives way and the baron reverts to his true form.
"Thank you," she whispers, reaching up to touch her amulet. She then nods at Dro'gan's suggestion, and focuses her magic again to release two quick pulses of healing energy.
"That should undo the worst of the injuries we were forced to inflict on him," she tells the baron's servants.
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Meraki's divine ministrations have set in motion ripples across Meratt that will become evident in the coming days and weeks. Although this is a bucolic, rural county, news still manages to travel quickly along the highways - especially news as uncanny as the salvation of Baron Telus. Thus, stories begin to be told, first among the squatter residents of New Towne, then among the other expatriates of Jambis, until word of Meraki's deeds reach Lotheedar, Moost, and the other towns in the county.
The common people of Meratt come to call her Meraki, Mistress of Miracles, and she comes to be viewed as a local legend - and her position within Amandine's coterie brings fame to the Betony household, as well.
Master Mosle and his men carry the sleeping form of their liege through the western door and into the master suite, allowing the baron to rest easily in his own bed for the first time in a decade.
"I don't know how long he may be asleep. I suppose this is a rare occasion, and finding someone with experience in such matters is just as rare," Mosle says with a wan smile.
"Oh, by stars and garters...we have to think about where to go from here. For the first time in forever, there's an actual future to plan for. If only I knew what's become of our residents and neighbors, long-since fled. We might be able to rebuild Jambis."
Dro'gan shakes his head sadly and sighs.
"Your only local neighbors appear to be giant spiders,and swarms of smaller versions. With the baron's curse removed, many of those may move on to better locations for their food, but it will still be difficult to get rid of the ones that remain. There are plenty of expatriates of Meratt and hopefuls of New Towne who might help you fight the menace and clear the town for resettling here. As for your other neighbors? Are there any nobility nearby that might aid in the recovery too? At least financially? And I'm still suspicious of these 'traveling witches' that cursed the Baron in the first place as well. What became of them? Where did they go? Will they be back? Could they have been sent in order to weaken Meratt in the first place by harming its Baron? Such things have been done before: Political manipulation hidden behind seemingly random chance."
Dro'gan winces and scratches his head in worry now.
"How did the Baron's finances fair over all of this? Are they still locked in his vault...or whatever...or are his financial resources out of shape?"
Amandine has started to feel dizzy by the time she can tell Meraki has broken the curse. She realizes she's mostly been holding her breath since the priestess began her attempt on this second night. She exhales, incredibly relieved the extra wait and Meraki's faith have paid off.
Once Baron Telus has been moved to a location where he can rest until he recovers consciousness, Amandine assures Mosle they will wait until the Baron is lucid, and will speak to him before they leave.
The curse is lifted and the man's body is restored, but what about his mind? If he remembers all the years he lived under the curse and the things he did, will he be sane?"
"Yes Master Mosle. Many, if not most of Jambis's former residents are still close by in New Towne. It may take some time to win back their trust so they return, but I think if they had truly given up hope and were determined to never come back they would have scattered farther."
Meraki is content to fade into the background as more material concerns come to the fore. Her mind races as she thinks of how best to portray the story of Telus's curse, and how her goddess broke it.
"Those witches haven't been seen in these parts since they cursed Araig, thank the gods. Why they passed through Meratt and what became of them? I haven't the faintest idea. As for why they targeted Araig...I just assumed that such wicked creatures spread misery for its own sake."
When talk turns to finances, Master Mosle looks a bit apprehensive before speaking again.
"The curse upon the Baron seemed to warp not just his body but his sense of responsibilities. Besides bringing meat, both fresh and rotten, for him to feed upon, he also ordered us to 'collect the taxes that he was due.' That is why we were forced into banditry. The sparkle of coins and other valuables seemed to keep him complacent, at least for a time, so we reasoned it was better for us to rob travelers than have him sneak out to kill and eat them."
Master Mosle bids you follow him to a door along the east wall of the great hall, presumably leading to the room whose other door had been the one you found collapsed.
"At first, Araig hoped to keep his mind together by reading in his library. As his mind slipped away, though, he simply began ripping pages from the bindings. I managed to save a few of his favorites by hiding them in the master suite, but for the past many years, the library has served as a treasury of sorts."
He opens the door to reveal a haphazard collection of coins, gems, and cutlery kept in the same state of disorganization that you would expect from such a degenerate being. Other items in the Baron's "treasury" include a suit of full plate armor, a scroll case, and a slightly chewed wand.
Meraki tries to determine the magical nature of the items, if any, but soon concedes defeat.
"I am sorry, that must have taken more out of me than I thought. Hopefully I'll feel better tomorrow."
Amandine takes over for Meraki. First she searches for any magical auras in the trove. If she finds any, she goes on to try to identify the object's magical nature.
Sighing loudly at the mess of a treasure room, Dro'gan leans his spear in a corner and rolls up his sleeves.
"Could somebody bring me...something mildly alcoholic and food that is still edible? It seems I have a lot of counting to do."
He then rolls his sleeves up and starts sorting/counting what he finds using multiple magical cantrips. He would appear to the uninformed, to be some sort of odd-looking conductor over an orchestra of coins clinking, gems clicking, and similar other odd noises.
Meraki and Amandine readily identify that the plate armor bears a rather standard level of enchantment. With help from Amandine, Dro'gan identifies the nature of the wand. The scroll within the case, however, remains a bit of a mystery, although you recognize that the spell inscribed upon it is some manner of healing spell.
Dro'gan takes an accounting of the more mundane treasures, although Master Mosle supervises the process.
Dro’gan waves off the Paladin’s worry.
”Nothing else to do until the Baron wakes. Might as well be productive. Nothing more productive that counting finances and cleaning up valuables…at least to the nobility.”
"Nor is it the Baron's" Amandine points out.
"But this is a conversation for later, when all parties are prepared to discuss it."
Amandine doesn't clean. It might be perceived as odd by the Baron's people if she did.
Whilst he hopes to hold on to the currency so that his restored liege can rebuild his household, Mosle is willing to let the party claim either the armor or wand, as well as the scroll, as thanks for what you have done.
Another day passes in the manor without the baron waking.
"Agreed Lady Lidia, the armor is without doubt the best choice."
"Dro'gan, try to convince Baronet Vort to return with you as well. It might reassure the others in New Towne if they have a trusted person who has witnessed first hand that the curse is lifted."
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Olivia admires the magical suit of plate armour. While it isn't as historically significant as the breastplate of Captain Cortes, it is the pinnacle of armour smithing.
Once she's finished putting the armour on, she lifts the visor of the sallet helmet. "I feel nearly impenetrable... mmm that's not the word I should have used. I feel well protected."
Smiling, Dro’gan casually salutes Amandine and starts for the door.
”Never fear! I will return triumphantly!”
"It suits you, Lady Espinosa," Meraki says, once the paladin is fully encased in her metal shell.
When you return to the shantytown of New Towne and bring word that Baron Telus has been cured and Jambis is safe to resettle, the residents first react with incredulity. However, once you convince them that they can return to their long-lost homes, they react as though it were the second coming of Aroden.
Almost immediately, the people begin packing up their meager belongings in anticipation of their imminent homecoming.
Dro’gan will warn them of the spiders infesting the town too.
“Just don’t get yourselves killed trying to evict any current tenants! I hear they get hungry when neighbors drop by…”
Meraki watches as the people of New Towne come to terms with what they have regained, smiling despite herself.
"It's hard to believe things went as well as they did, isn't it?"
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Gro'gan smiles genuinely at Meraki's statement, and waves at the cheering crowds.
"I had absolutely no doubts whatsoever! You either succeed or die in whatever you are trying to do. So I choose to succeed at everything as long as possible, thank you very much..."
He then looks serious for a moment and quietly speaks only loud enough for Meraki to hear.
"Lion's Rule#10: Never, EVER, give up. As long as a Lion of Taldor stands, hope remains."
Amandine puts her hand on Meraki's shoulder.
"This is entirely yours. I would have killed him. I wouldn't have liked it, but it was the only solution I could see. Thank you, my soul remains a little lighter because of you."
Meraki shakes her head gently, still smiling.
"Very little credit belongs to me. Lady Espinosa was the one who chose to save him, when she could have slain him. And I was just the conduit for my Lady's divine power. She must think we're on the right path."
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"I was merely following the plan." Olivia retorts in the competition of modesty. "I admit the torch throwing was too much, but I didn't feel as though I had many options. I'm glad it all turned out well. Only time will tell how the Baron will govern, but I believe this is the best scenario we could have asked for. What is our aim now?"
Smirking, Dro’gan raps his knuckles on Oliva’s new armored shoulder pauldron.
”It worked out better for some of us more than others… So what IS next? Back to the Baron? See if he has woken yet?”