Breathing heavily, Charles looked at Tesswyn.
"Those plants, they're a lot more dangerous than they seem and I think they got us all."
"This was a terrible mistake! I said we should have left those plants for when we were going to leave but I didn't stop him. I can get rid of it I'm sure, but my strength will be severely drained after this. I'm not sure how much more we can continue."
Barlog sticks his fingers down his throat and tries to vomit up the seed.
"We need to rest. Away from here. We can approach this from another angle later. It would be foolish to press on in our current state. And how the bloody hell was I supposed to know those plants would start moving on their own!
"Well, you are a Druid," Tesswyn says sarcastically, though her heart really isn't in it. "I agree. Let's fall back and rest. We'll take those women with us. And tomorrow, after we finish exploring, we burn all those damned plants!"
"Aye. I'll make sure my flask is brimming."
Barlog attempts to make himself throw up, and even though he succeeds in vomiting all over himself and the ground, there's no evidence of the seed coming out.
Tesswyn does bring up a good point, Barlog thinks. He takes a moment to study the plants using his Druid training. Normally he can tell what a plant or tree is by sight. Does he know what these things actually are?
Drot springs up into a sitting position, the last thing he remembered was a seed being forced down his gullet. He immediately feels the pain and soreness of his wounds and gently lays back down with a sigh and listens to the conversation.
"I will agree with that, Charles. I'm curious as to what demon felt the need to give these plants parasitic life; monsters, all of them."
Drot slowly stands and beings the retrieval of the woman, as Tess suggested.
These plants are called Kourne Octe. They are a semi-intelligent plant that reproduces by inserting its seed into intelligent animals. They are strong and hardy. They attack anything that gets too close and tries to grab them before
Fortunately, they don't move from the spot they've grown from, so they're easy to avoid so long as you don't get too close. They are also vulnerable to fire.
A victim that has been infested with a Kourne Octe seed will slowly suffer over the next few days. While infested, they cannot heal damage ().
Every day, the victim gets a little worse until they die. When they die, a Violator () emerges from inside of them within a few hours of death. Burning the body destroys the Violator.
Violators:
The Violator is a small to medium size mobile plant. The size depends on the host. It is extremely dangerous. It comes from a seed of the Kourne Octe implanted in an animal host.
It has a protective shell that minimizes harm the first time it is hit, but after that the shell is broken and it's easier to hurt. It's fast, it can jump around, and it has a long reach. Like it's parent plant, it is vulnerable to fire.
Skinweed:
This is a vine-like plant that reproduces with its sharp thorns. When the thorn scratches a creature with blood, the sap renters the bloodstream and infects the victim. Over the course of the next several days, the vine grows within. It prevents the victim from being able to sleep, and due to that they start to go insane. Itchy boils start to emerge, and the vines grow out of the boils.
Transmission. A creature becomes exposed to skinweed by coming into contact with the vine’s thorns. The exposed creature must get a success on a Strength challenge roll with 1 bane or become infected, suffering the stage 1 effects of the disease.
Cure. Anything that poisons the body will poison the vine. An infected creature that takes 5 or more damage from poison makes Strength challenge rolls to recover from the disease with 2 boons.
Stage 0. The vine dies within the body and must be pulled out through the skin where possible.
Stage 1. The creature becomes diseased and is feverish and itchy.
Stage 2. As stage 1, and the skinweed spreads farther across the body and begins to protrude from the skin. The itching increases in intensity, and victims are often unable to sleep or focus. The creature makes Will challenge rolls with 1 bane.
Stage 3. As stage 2, and the creature must get a success on a Will challenge roll or gain 1d3 Insanity from sleep deprivation and relentless itching.
Stage 4. As stage 3, and slime-covered flowers bloom from bits of vine poking through the skin, often in areas the victim can’t reach. The itching is so severe that the creature becomes dazed for as long as it remains at this stage, as it scratches and pulls at the protruding vines.
Stage 5. The creature takes damage equal to its Health and dies as the vines reach its organs.
Recovery. Each time a creature infected with skinweed completes a rest, it must make a Strength challenge roll with 1 bane. 20 or more: The disease moves down one stage. Success: No change Failure: The disease moves up one stage. 0 or less: The disease moves up two stages (maximum stage 5).
Barlog, after relaying this information to the rest of the group and sheepishly apologizing for not taking a closer look before, downs a generous swig.
"I'll save some for the flames we'll put these abominations to."
Charles listens and let out a small sigh of relief. "Well now I know a little more about what plants to avoid." he said with a hint of humor to his voice.
Then his humor is gone and he looks around at their surroundings before back at Balrog."But these things won't do anything for a day as you put it. Alright, then we have a decision to make, now that I've calmed down some more. I didn't quite parse it yet but my magic is stronger than I thought and I think I can stretch it out a while longer.
If we leave now, we leave whoever else is still alive here to die. We've already saved two so that's good. But there is still at least one more according to Tesswyn. Then there's whatever else will happen in the time we're gone. Let's have Flamebeard make us some more torches and then we'll check the silo. After that, we can either leave or see what's in that tower and end this situation.
What do you think?"
Tesswyn nods. "Alright, let's do this."
"I can make torches, but I want this seed out of me before we do anything else. I'm in no condition to face whatever horrors are waiting for us. My vote is to wait until we are all fully healed."
"Right then, I'll get it out for both of you. Although none of us are looking in great condition anymore. Flamebeard, do you have any healing magic left?"
"Aye, I've a few tricks left in me. Those who need it, stand close."
Barlog will use Shared Recovery to heal himself and whomever needs it most. He'll cast Moderate Healing and restore twice the healing rate to both himself and the other.
As the plan changes Drot turns and his heel and lumbers back to the group. He listens intently as the information is being relayed, making mental notes of the distinct difference he'll want to remember.
"Impressive. It's still baffling as to where they came from and why, at least a few, of these people catered for them. Thank you both again for the healing."
Drot takes a step back and sighs at the relief of the spells. He readies himself for moving along, he chimes in:
"If we're not going back then we'll need to be much more cautious with our movement and use our environment to our advantage. Whenever you guys are ready."
The silo contains various types of grain. Two nearby sheds hold dried, smoked meats and stockpiled vegetables, as well as stacked bales of hay and straw. Several bags containing different types of seeds sit on a labeled shelf. One bag’s contents are unidentifiable; the shelf label says “Kuorne Octe" (for those who can read).
The livestock shelter nearby holds four oxen, as well as harnesses for wagons. Scratched into the side of the structure is: “Thou shalt not lay with the common beasts. The Great One shall quench all desires.”
Two wagons loaded with sacks of grain look ready for transport.
Tesswyn searches for anything of value in the wagons.
Barlog passes out torches to Tess, Drot, and Charles. He keeps one for himself and makes his way back to the room to find the two women they previously healed. If they are still there he will address them.
"How did you come to be here? Is this what you believe in?"
The group searches around the various buildings and vehicles and discovers small bag of strange seeds nestled between the other sacks on each wagon.
"How did you come to be here? Is this what you believe in?"
The women are currently unconscious. They'll likely be awake tomorrow.
Tesswyn eyes the seeds dubiously. "Bet they are seeds for those murder plants. A bunch of crazy cultists getting ready to spread them across the Reaches. A&$@%+@s. Let's burn these with the rest of the crop before we go. We can take the grain back to help feed the soldiers."
After finishing their search, the rogue leads the group to the tower.
Barlog rejoins the group before they enter the tower.
Drot prepares himself for the relief of the spell as Charles speaks the words but is left wanting... He looks around quickly, confused and suspicious;
"Uhh, Charles, did you say that right right? I uh, that didn't really feel the way it normally does? I guess?"
He scratches his head and looks at the Clergyman, confused and worried.
Charles eyed Drot'ook and put his hand to his mouth in overly dramatic shock. "Oh no, was I actually supposed to try harder to heal you?" After a moment he dropped the act and gave the orc a slap on the shoulder.
"Relax, that wasn't meant to heal you this time. You were knocked unconscious by those plants and they put a seed pod inside you. I merely removed it."
As they checked the silo and nearby buildings Charles looked at all of the goods that were ready to go. He began pulling the dried meats and vegetables and bringing them to each cart. He then brought bales of hay to one then straw the other.
He looked at the Oxen. "We should probably get them ready to move. The oxen will be slower than horses but they are much sturdier and can handle more weight."
He spent the next few minutes moving the sacks over to the carts. Then finally he followed after Balrog to get the two unconscious women and move them to the cart.
Charles gave a satisfied sigh as the wagons were loaded. "This will keep the fort going for a while longer. But they'll need to find a different method of resupply after this. Now let's get go take care of whatever the heart of this is."
A 25-foot-tall stone tower juts from the center of the grounds. Arrow slits dot the walls at varying heights, and cracks and crumbling holes have been smoothed over with a red stucco. A weird vine climbs the south side of the tower, bearing sickly sweet-smelling flowers and sap-covered thorns.
On the north side, dirty handprints surround the following words chiseled into the base, as though touched and revered daily:
Celibacy is godliness.
We save ourselves for the Great One to bring him forth into the world.
Scourging purges the desires of the flesh and purifies the hearts of those willing to receive the Great One.
Silence is its own reward.
Speak no words, and you shall have no regrets.
Consorting with outsiders brings doom upon us all.
The vine brings suffering, and suffering brings salvation.
A single wooden door on the east side of the tower offers access to the interior.
"Lovely," Tesswyn remarks. She renews her shillelagh spell, then opens the door.
Barlog looks at the vine. Will this come alive and try to attack? He waits for someone to pass by first.
"Well now, looking at the condition of this inscription it seems like they've been at this for a long time. But is absolutely full of holes in its logic. Celibacy is godliness, until this Great One needs to use you as a tool. Although, the divine depend upon us mortals, so in the end I suppose I am one too. Besides, we're here to save people, not kill them."
Walking in, it's obvious this part of the tower is used for worship.
A stone statue of a bull looms atop a dais across the room from the door. A crown of dried leaves, flowers, and thorny vines wraps around its head and horns. An empty offering bowl, stained with dried blood, lies at the front of the dais.
Scourges and whips hang on the walls next to tapestries depicting obscene acts, and handwoven thatch rugs checker the stone floor.
On the south side of the room, a steep stone staircase leads up.
Tesswyn puts a finger to her lips as she sneaks towards the stairs. She searches for traps before quietly heading up.
Charles glances around the room with some apprehension to the scenery.
"Let's not be surprised as we go up." he said before taking a moment to cast a life sense spell.
He then purposefully strides up to the dais across the room to more closely examine it.
Drot is visibly irritated by Charles' words for but a moment. He looks down at the man straight into his eyes, calmly.
"I trust that you understand our mutual knowledge of magic, I don't mean to speak above my experience in your divinity but my concerns are not ones to be expressed lightly. I trust you and your skills, so if you're confident, then I'll settle to follow suit."
Drot clasps Charles on the shoulder and follow the group into the tower, following suit and activating his detect magic ability, examining everything in the room. He takes time with the bull statue and tests the structural integrity of the thing, pulling and pushing on its horns, legs, tail and body.
Who made this beast? It doesn't seem to relate to the rest of the fort...
He expresses his thoughts to the group moments later.
As Drot gets close to the statue, two corpses with large (size 1) plants appear from behind it. Two Violators have ripped out of some bodies! They are dragging the bodies along with them, like some sort of hermit crab.
Tesswyn's eyes widen as she sees the plants, but she is looking beyond them as she sees the signs and portents. Rushing into battle, she smashes the closest plant twice!
Slow initiative.
Barlog stokes his torch and attempts to hurl it at the same violator Tess is attacking.
Drot reacts immediately to the sudden appearance of the grotesque hermit plants and with, magical strength, strikes at one within reach.
Charles moved forward to cautiously strike at one of the plants with his torch.
"Alright don't get careless, we know how dangerous these things can be! Don't group together if you can avoid it."
Fast:
PCs:
Drot launches a might attack against one of the plants, and with the help of Charles' prayer he destroys the body around it and cuts into the Violator.
Enemies;
The Violator whips a sharpened tenticle at Drot.
Slow:
PCs:
Barlog rushes into the room and launches his torch!
Charles moves up defensively and pokes at the plant, but misses.
Tesswyn rushes forward and attacks with her staff! The body wrapped around the plant is tipped off and she whacks the thing again!
The plant tried to evade!
Enemies:
The plant whips and wails around from being on fire. It defensively fire off a tenticle fury, but no one is in the area of effect.
Tesswyn brings her staff down on the plant in front of her to finish it off!
Drot was already losing a lot of blood when he lunged for the surprise plant, after it retaliated and caught him in the face he felt everything begin to go...
Drot's eyes become engulfed in red and he feels a fire inside of him begin to burn. It demands that he destroys something! Anything! NOW!
He strikes out once again, this time at the remaining hermit plant!
Fast Initiative
Barlog will find a place to take cover and observe the rest of the room, looking for something he can use against the animated shrubbery.