The night is a restless one for the kids. What will they find the next day? And how will they handle their responsibility?
The next morning after breakfast Gertrud collects the kids for a trip to the black patch. "Is there something you want to take along? Some tools?"
Jewel runs to the barn to collect a shovel and a small axe. "I think we should dig out the dead stuff and see if anything is buried under it. If there's a curse that might be where it is! Should we take some oil or a torch to burn the dead stuff? We can use magic to create water if the fire flares up...."
Does Tobar know that he has access to the huge spells on the Hunter list? I'd like to have him memorize Defoliate and Expeditious Excavation but am not sure if that is acceptable (may also just sidestep the whole problem in a boring way).
I have no problem at all if you say no to these spells at this point in time.
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"Oil might spread, and it's gonna be a b- harder to control," Tarjun quickly censors himself. He might have learned a couple funny words from listening to his father toiling in the fields, but he knows that his mother has very little patience for it. Moreover, there's no way he's going to let Jewie learn them too: she might get into the habit of blurting them out, or worse, lecture him for doing so and threaten to tell their parents if he continues.
"Or we could put the oil in a small bowl or somethin'. That way we put the dead stuff in the bowl, we set fire to it, and we're sure that the grass around it ain't gonna go in flames."
"Let us go and take a look first, before we burn the woods down, shall we?" Gertrud suggests.
As you reach the spot, the size has doubled and a nearby tree has started dying. The bark falling off, the leafs withering on the one side, and the wood turning dark.
Jewel drops everything and runs over to the tree, stopping just before touching it. "It's spreading and killing everything!"
Clara casts a spell and burns the patch. "Here take that you evil necrothingy!"
The black patch is not impressed. And as there is not much room to become more black, the effect of the magic fire is almost unnoticeable. Only the green grass besides the patch turns yellow or brown and hangs down.
Gertrud looks like the the grown up, who knows what to do. "Your idea of digging it up is not bad. The reason for this might be buried beneath it."
All that cool is a fragile facade. Gertrud is none the wiser than you and really worried about that.
Jewel stops Tarjun trying to hold the shovel, "Wait! Look here! There's another little creature in it. Try to get it on the shovel so we can take it away. Then dig. Put it here...."
"Not sure what we can do to help. When I tried to save the caterpillar the magic killed it."
Tobar will first see what happens when he casts defoliate. If that doesn't kill the patch he'll try expeditious excavation next.
Tarjun puts the blackened snail away and starts digging into the black patch. And even under the surface it can clearly be seen what is dead already. The soil is the same, but the roots and everything that once was alive is now dead, black and crumbles to dust when touched. Beneath the surface the dead area becomes wider, like that patch is only the tip of an iceberg.
"Did you expect the cause to be only that deep?" Clara inquires precociously.
Jewel stares at the dead area wanting to cry when she sees it getting even larger below the surface. "Wait! Look at the area. It's getting bigger as you dig. Dig deeper but just over on this side, expanding the edge to get all of the dead area."
Clara puts her fingers in her ears. "That way it will die even faster."
Tarjun works diligently, while all others stand around watching him. But there is nothing new within another foot of earth removed. It's less vegetation as only the trees and large bushes have roots that deep, so the difference between normal soil and the dead one isn't that big any more.
Once the hole gets deeper and the difference between the live and dead soil is harder to see Jewel moves closer to examine the roots and any bugs in the soil, breaking the roots to see the core of them.
Tobar sends a ball of dark energy at the plants of the patch. But there is no effect at all.
Jewel finds that the roots are black to the core and cruble to dust and ashes when touched.
But this examination is interrupted by Tobar 'supporting' Tarjun with magic digging. Which lets Tarjun's work look like childs play. A cube of earth, five, by five, by five foot is haules to the side in one move. This uncovers a skeleton at the bottom of the now seven foot deep pit.
"Its surely got to be related somehow. Is there anything magical on the bones?"
"If is is magical, can I keep it?" Clara asks and casts detect magic.
"No, we don't put human skeletons in our house. Especially if they radiate necromantic energy." Gertrud objects.
"Ewww. It's that necrothingy." Clara states and immediately loses interest in keeping the bones. She even leaves out the argument, that they have half animal skulls at the wall at home and that this would be no different.
Jewel nods as Clara identifies necromantic magic on the bones. "Could you cast it again Clara? And examine it closely. Is the whole skeleton magical? Or just part of it? Or something on it? Maybe if we move it to a place where we could burn it? It might end this curse!"
"Or maybe bury it in consecr ... uh, the churchyard"
"We have a churchyard?" Clara asks wondering while staring at the skeleton.
"I don't know. It's more like everything there is glowing in dark."
"We might not have a churchyard, but the shrine has." Gertrud states. "But I wonder who buried it here.
"Gobbos, of course. They're behind everything!"
"Where will you put them, once they're out?" Clara asks. "Can't just put them somewhere else and have everything die there too."
"First, lets figure out how to get it out"
Tobar looks at his equipment
"Uh, I've got a basket and some twine. Maybe we could wash it into the basket with water?"
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Tarjun takes Tobar's basket, and kneels in front of it. Holding his hands above the basket as if he is cupping imaginary water, he mutters a few words. Suddenly, a few drops fall at the bottom of the basket, followed by a trickle of water that gets bigger and bigger. Water pours from Tarjun's hands until the basket is filled up. He glances at Mrs. Johnson:
"No tellin'," he warns. Although he tried to be discreet while casting his spells while in the tunnels, there is no doubt left now.
He hesitates a few seconds, before drawing a circle above the water, casting a second spell.
"Not sure if it's gonna work, but let's give it a try."
While Tarjun is 'filling' the basket with water Jewel takes the shovel and tries to scoop under some of the bones, picking them up and moving them over to the water in the basket. "Watch out! I'm going to drop them in but we don't want it touching anyone!"
"I hope cleaning them will help the curse. It will make them a lot harder to burn!"
"Who dares to disturb me!" a booming voice shouts. It has no obvious source, and seems to come from everywhere.
The skeleton still lies dead.
"Are you mocking me? Tremble in fear!" the voice booms as mist forms and thickens to shape a ghostly figure with glowing red eyes.
"We're not mocking anyone. We are new Guardians of Erastil and the ground over these bones appears to be cursed with necromantic power. Is that your doing?"
"We just want to put the bones to rest in their proper spot. We're trying to help, NOT to harm you or anybody else"
"That's about time. But not with a shovel. Get a proper cleric and then do the rites and move my bones into the crypt." The ghost demands.
Jewel realizes she should be scared, but.... "Hey. Did you know Tohrid Dawnbreeze? He was the old guardian and he's in the crypt. Maybe he can do the ritual? Or can you teach us? We're still a small town so I'm not sure we have a 'proper cleric' here...."
"Is it safe to touch your bones then? See the ground here where your bones are. All the plant life and even bugs are dying. That's why we dug this up!"
"AAAAAAARGH. Don't mention that name!"