Laborers in the garden start discussing plans to build a small chicken coop and put a fence around the back to keep livestock. Some chatter then turns to the work on the smithy and how they'll make rakes, hoes, and shovels. The discussion goes on as Sario rejoins the team.
Kimroth fills your packs with bread, cheese, nuts, and a few containers of water and ale. "You'll likely find more food there," he says, "in the village itself -- if it wasn't all burned to the ground. Good luck, ladies."
Azura kisses Darya and Luci goodbye, and the tiny village of Defender's Heart waves as you make your way east through the streets toward the walls.
The eastern gate is largely intact, though you find a choke point with a wagon slammed in front of it and a pair of dead, rotting guardsmen's bodies slumped against it.
Working your way carefully past the damaged gate, you exit the walls of Kenabres and set out on the wide dirt road to the east. The road is rutted with many years of wagon tracks and horse hooves and the wear and tear of even simple walking travelers. Near the city there are few trees or even bushes, everything but the grass to either side having been stripped away or trampled underfoot.
As you get a half-mile outside of the city the terrain becomes rocky and scrubby, but the dirt track remains easy to follow. You pass by a tiny farming hamlet with an orchard; the trees and the buildings have both been burned down, and badly-burned bodies are impaled among the blackened remains of the trees. It seems that the demonic army has spread far afield looking for prey.
Coming out of the orchard you cross a valley that likely once held a river but now is filled mostly with pebbles, low bushes, and squash-vines. Rabbits crisscross the valley, diving into thorny underbrush, and black crows caw at you from dry, twiggy pine trees.
You spot the occasional odd track in the valley - certainly there are bears in the area, maybe other unusual creatures like owlbears or even bulettes - but nothing sets upon your armed party.
Crossing through some of the forested territory, you stop by a small watershed for lunch, then continue on for several more hours. The terrain becomes drier and the small forested area gives way to plains. In the distance you spot a low, snug house that appears undamaged, with a flock of sheep spread out in the scrubby grasslands around it and a lone shepherd out among the flocks. To the east you can see the rising hills that lead to the rocky embrace of Truestone Quarry.
Darya takes in the almost idyllic scene with some skepticism. "Given the carnage they've wreaked so far, what are the odds that the demons just decided to leave this place alone?"
Iomenna desperately wants this scene of normalcy to be real, but can't but acknowledge the truth in Darya's skepticism. "You're right. Why would they leave such a defenseless place untouched? It hasn't been long enough since the attack for the building to have been rebuilt, and unless there's some magical protection around the place that we can't perceive from here, what would keep them out?" She pauses for a moment to consider the scene, "Still, it might be worth our time to check it out either way. It could be there's some kind of protection on the house, in which case it could be a haven. Or it could be a trap, in which case it falls upon us to destroy it to protect any other travelers who might be making their way toward the city, especially if they're reinforcements.. I know it's potentially risky, but I think we should check it out."
Sario looks at the home, "He could have just been far enough removed that the demons didn't note him or the cultists didn't feel that he was a threat?"
"Want me to scout forward?"
In the distance, the shepherd watches you uneasily, but neither calls out nor waves.
"Yeah, I think that might be a good idea. He's watching us right now, maybe I'll give you a distraction, might also convince him we're the good girls." she says with a note of humor in her tone. With a simple flicker of will, Darya unveils her divine heritage, a golden halo manifesting above her head, emanating golden light around her, and glinting off of her armor.
The shepherd starts slightly, then hustles toward the house. He (or she?) steps in and closes the door, then watches you from a mostly-shuttered window.
The sheep continue to graze and ignore you.
"Well....that happened." Darya says shaking her head with a sigh.
Alexa creeps forward.
Alexa hunkers down in the grass for cover and inches slowly forward.
As you close on the house you note that it's a fairly significant building with several rooms - the sort of thing a well-to-do shepherd who manages several flocks across a large parcel of land might own, making good money selling wool and sheepskin to the city.
Alexa inches her way up to a window and attempts to peek inside without being seen.
As Alexa disappears into the sparse landscape around the house, Iomenna speaks under her breath to her companions, "Hands on hilts, ladies. We don't want to be off guard if things kick off here."
Sario takes her spear off her back and holds it in a low ready position.
Darya nods, readying her weapon.
You can see the shepherd peeking out from a mostly-shuttered window, holding a crossbow at the ready. Perhaps more importantly, you can hear the heavy breathing of someone sleeping uncomfortably, and pained moans from someone else as well, neither of whom you can see.
Alexa reunites with the rest of the team. "Heard someone sleeping uncomfortably inside the house, and someone else was moaning painfully. Either the shepherd in question is paranoid that we mean him & his family harm, or there's something more nefarious going on."
Iomenna nods at Alexa's report, "Good work, Dorne. At least now we know where we stand to an extent. What do you ladies say, then--shall we go introduce ourselves? Perhaps offer some assistance?"
Sario nods her agreement to Iomenna, "We could trade stories with him."
"And if someone is injured we can heal them. We may very well be the answer to his prayers" Darya adds.
Alexa frowns and nods. "However, I did notice something else in the grass--several areas that were scorched or downtrodden. Likely signs of a few straggling monsters passing this way, but not an entire army's worth."
"Wonder if they hurt someone in his family." Darya wonders, looking at the house.
You approach cautiously and a reedy voice calls out through the window, "Stop there, please! Who are you and what do you want?"
Iomenna raises her empty hands in a sign of non-violence, "Survivors like yourself, friend! We're crusaders from Kenabres. Part of a growing band of survivors who are doing what we can to drive out the demons and restore the city. May we approach? Our scout said she heard someone groaning in pain. We might be able to provide some healing."
"We've got two paladins and a druid with us--if we CAN'T do something to help, I'm going to be sorely disappointed."
"How do I know you aren't demons in disguise?"
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Iomenna's eyes drift to her right and up slightly to gaze at Darya's halo out of the corner of her eye. "Well...two of us are aasimar, my dad was too. So that's something. Granted, Luci here is a tiefling, but Darya will definitely vouch for her being very nice. Also, we haven't attacked you or tried to destroy your fields or your flocks. Anything else we can do to make you feel more comfortable?"
"I'm pretty much wearing my divine heritage out in the open. Besides, we have no desire to harm you.....the opposite in fact, and yes Luci here definitely has my stamp of approval." Darya chimes in.
Hesitantly, the shepherd opens the door a crack. A weathered face of a middle-aged man protrudes, missing a few teeth, with stubble on his chin and cheeks.
"You came from the west? From Kenabres? The city's in a bad way, it seems," he says. "Few demons came through here, along the road. Thought it was the end, but they kept on movin'. Something pushing them one toward Truestone - they only got a couple o' my sheep, and some of the ranch hands."
"What're you tryin' to do, 'zactly?" he says, squinting. "Demon-hunting? Scavenging? Looking for survivors? I suppose if you were bandit-izing you'd've already set my house on fire."
"A bit of each of the first three - we're headed to Truestone Quarry to search for survivors and supplies, and we're probably gonna be reducing any demons we come across to a pulp. Sounds like we'll be doing a bit of that last one when we get there."
"Could you tell us what the Demons or who was with them looked like?" Sario surveys the fields. "Also do you have any extra wheat or barley seed? We are trying to grown a Garden by Defender's heart and we need some see. I can pay you"
"We're glad to seels that you managed to survive out here, though sorry to hear about the ranch hands you lost. Is there anything we can do for you? Are you alone or did anyone else make it through this with you?" Darya asks.
The shepherd says, "Ehh... mostly I raise sheep. They graze in the fields, don't much care what they eat. I have a little vegetable garden in back with cabbages."
He squints a moment, then says, "Though Lacey got a garden too. She in a bad way, though. She's in here. Ran away from them demons after she got stabbed."
"The demons was mostly these wormy things and these blobby things, but they was being lashed by somethin' what looked kinda... I dunno... like a bug kinda thing, big bug eyes and antennas, an' a black spiky carapace," he says, thinking back in memory.
"If'n you can help Lacey out maybe she can trade you some seed stock."
Darya frowns as the shepard describes the demons, calling upon her studies in identifying the denizens of the abyss. "If she needs healing we can definitely help. Can we come in?"
Iomenna nods gravely as the shepherd describes the demons. "We'll be glad to help Lacey as much as we can. By the way, I don't believe we caught your name, sir. Mine's Iomenna bet-Melkiel."
Alexa pauses and thinks of what the shepherd is describing...
The shepherd says, "I'm Deris. Who, uh, wants to help out Lacey? She's just inside here." He cracks the door open slightly. Inside is a crude but sturdy three-room home: Deris stands in the large central room that has a big stone fireplace, a circular table, and a pair of beds; there's an open door on the east side that goes to a kitchen and pantry; and on the west side is a door that connects to a roofed-over barn-like area for storing tools and keeping the sheep out of inclement weather. Both of the beds are occupied, one by a woman groaning with pain and with a pair of nasty puncture wounds (one arm, one chest), and the other with a man snoring and tossing and turning.
"Hmm..." Alexa frowns. "Deris, how large was this demon that attacked you?"
"The bug-thing didn't come at me, it was too busy herding its demon troops. There were a few of the little spiky fellas and blobby things that tried to chase down sheep but the bug-demon herded 'em like a sheepdog. They kept goin' toward the Truestone Quarry."
"Lacey here, though, she got stabbed or bit or stung or somethin'. She had a bad fever when she made it here, said her house got raided by demons and her neighbors got kilt. She didn't say what the thing was what stabbed her."
"Hmm." Alexa purses her lips. "It appears that a coloxus demon was leading a band of demons to the Truestone Quarry. I understand they are remarkably powerful--enough to serve as assault leaders."
Of COURSE it's never good news.
Alexa then ponders what sort of demons would be 'spiky' and/or 'blobby'.
"Their troops were likely composed of dretches & babau. The dretches we can likely deal with--it's the mention of babau that worry me."
On top of the possible coloxus demon leading them...
Darya, steps forward, her halo casting golden light into the room as she sees the injured woman lying suffering. "I should be able to help her, possible heal the worst of her injuries." the flame haired paladin says quietly, "May I come in?"
Listening to Alexa's line of questioning, she processes the information, venturing a guess at what type of demon might have injured her and her possible ailment.
The shepherd lets Darya into the house. It smells of stale sweat and sheep, and is quite disorganized - obviously, caring for a pair of injured people has left things in a state of some chaos.
Though Darya has no idea what kind of demon might have made the injuries, the woman's puncture wounds are clearly poisoned - but since she's lasted this long, she might survive. The man has a fever, but at least it's not ghoul fever or vargouille disease - looks like red ache. Without care or a cure, Darya thinks he has a 50-50 shot of pulling through. If he survives he'll be weak for several days.
Deris says, "Look, I just gotta know... is this everywhere? Is it the end of the world? The hordes of the Abyss pourin' forth to destroy everything?"
"Not yet. It's certainly a dark day, but there are still many like us here who are willing to stand and fight back against the darkness. Have faith, good Deris. We may yet live to see the dawn."
"And even outside of Mendev, I'd be shocked if everyone else near the Worldwound didn't have some sort of defences against it. I mean it's bordering, what?" She raised her hands as though she were gesturing to a map, going counter clockwise around the Worldwound. "Mammoth-obsessed raging lunatics, orcs, people used to fighting the undead, alien robots, and us. They're not gonna be expanding quickly in any direction, even if the whole wardstone network's down."
Nodding at the responses, Darya takes stock of the wounds and maladies. "Lacey's poisoned, but she's clearly pretty touch. I can't neutralize what's affecting her but I can heal some of the damage to increase her chances of pulling through. If she's still affected when we come back this way, we can get her back to our base and see if anyone there can do more."
Looking at the feverish man she sighs. "He's got Red Ache, nasty disease that drains your strength. If it hits hard enough his heart could give out. Right now he's got even odds of surviving or succumbing without a cure."
"Well is there anything any of you can do?" says Deris. "Or should I start diggin' a grave?"
Kneeling beside Lacey, the paladin rests her hand on the woman's forehead, a flicker of firelight igniting in her eyes as a soft golden flame appears to engulf her hand, spreading to the unconscious woman's body.
"That should help her hold out." she says getting up. Looking over at the man she runs a hand through her hair. "What's affecting him is beyond me. I'm sorry, but I wouldn't start digging just yet. There's always hope."