Dramm nods and stands. "Then I will help. I retrieved nightshade from Ezekia before we left. It can cure your curse. You know my secrets, Anophth. I will help you with your decision."
"There is something else to try, but it will be slow. I also understand it may be painful." Dramm begins to carve a glowing, round sigil into the air. It twists and wiggles with life in a gentle green light. "I have tried before, but my abilities are still weak. It may still help."
Dramm will push his hand through the circular glow, reaching through to Anophth's one eyed face.
Using Nimble Recovery to regain 4 HP.
The magic courses through, burning and searing the mind. The process is painful and forces Anophth to face some of the horrors hiding within. When it is done, the gnawing visions and whispering voices seem just a little more distant.
"Take the belladonna. Imedren and Uruuna can help us mix it." Dramm gives Anophth the plant, then holds out his hand expectantly. "I'd like that back now."
Anophth screams as the scars reopen and realign to heal properly.
Later, in town, Anophth seeks the temple to speak to the priest. There, he confesses his worries, his past, his fear of what will happen to Father Gregory, and his anxiety about his own troubles.
He seems to have one of the two under control, and in seven days time he'll be rid of the Skinchanger Curse. But there is still the matter of the demon flesh.
I seek your advice and your aid, Father. What can be done to rise this demon inside of me?
Tabog took the time to make sure the money that was promised came into their possession, he didn't take gigs for the "exposure" anymore.
As everyone seemed to be dealing with the recent events at the intro-personal level, Tabog floated between the groups and offered any insight or aid that he could offer. For himself, at the moment, he seemed to be numb to the events. It was the same feeling when he was in a play he wasn't fond of, everyone around him was swirling with personality and emotion while he walked through the motions. Watching, from the outside, while his body took actions and his mouth said words but none of it felt like he was doing it. His internal dialog was looping some of the more emotionally taxing things he'd experienced and comparing them to the things that have happened since meeting this group of people, his friends. It was an odd feeling for certain, but what did it all mean?
The temple is maintained by a vicar named Brayan. He regards Anophth with shifty eyes as the goblin offers confession. "You must cleanse the stain of corruption from your soul, lad, lest you be damned to an eternity in Hell. Woe that an exorcism is beyond my humble abilities. My only advice is to do good deeds, be kind to others, and pray that is enough to reverse the downward spiral you find yourself on." Brayan shrugs.
Dramm had been dubious about the Goblin's desire to visit the temple up to this point. With the Father's advice, he simply snorts derisively.
"Can't trust a 'higher power' for anything." He mutters, "Gods, demons, devils... never around when you really need them."
Anophth can see Dramm gripping the stone in his pocket what must be painfully tightly.
"He's right about one thing, Anophth. You can handle this with your own decisions to make things right. Maybe we can find someone else who can help. Any higher power that isn't yours isn't safe to trust if you ask me though."
That was Anophth's final measure, and his shoulders slumped in disappointed and depression. But it's not me. I didn't inflict this on myself. He walked out of the church, uncertain where life would force him to go next.
Anophth spent the rest of the day on the edge of town, throwing rocks into the empty field, waiting for everyone else to finish up whatever it was they were doing.
After finishing your business in Hamlet (including purchasing gear if you are so inclined), you return to the hog farm. You spend the remainder of the day resting and recuperating, and the next morning, you are ready to enter the Sentinel Wood.
The trail of the bloody bones is not as fresh as it might have been earlier, but Dramm still is able to pick up on the telltale dried bloodstains that show the path of its flight northwest. After following the trail for a couple hours, it crosses a wider, well-worn game trail. Numerous hooded footprints lead southwest from here--fomor tracks.
A man stands at the intersection of trails. He is clad in animal hides and grasps a sickle. A symbol of the Green Man's face hangs about his neck, marking him as a priest of the Old Faith.
"Ho, travelers! The name's Reinhold. If you are heading deeper into these woods, I would recommend caution. A tribe of beastmen have made their camp somewhere nearby. I saw them on the move the other day--fomors and a few wargs, perhaps a dozen monsters in total. Whatever they're up to, it can't be good."
Anophth stays behind the legs of his taller companions, keeping himself hidden from view, although he's curious as to where, exactly, those Fomor are.
Ask him if he knows where they are. Maybe we can ambush them.
Dramm spent some time with the Goblin in the field. He is silent for most of it, except to say.
"... You opened a shop, you know. Nutmeg, Uruuna... even I started helping there." He chucks a rock to trail after one tossed by his despondent friend. "Did that without Gods. Killed a demon too, believe it or not. Saved my life when you killed Patchwork too. Found an ambush with those... skeleton things, while I was searching the trail. Probably saved me again, since I didn't notice 'em."
He watches his friends down face and fidgets. "I guess what I'm saying is that you don't need the gods to make things right. Didn't need them for any of that, and you did it alone despite whatever that voice tells you. You're gonna fix this, Anophth. Maybe you can't rely on some priest, but you've got us."
"A dozen? Too many to fight. Need to split them up or scatter them. I don't know anything about the beast men." Anophth's suggestion catches Dramm.
"Ambush wouldn't be a bad idea. We need to know where they are first. I can set traps if I know the paths they're traveling. I think that is pretty important for the wargs. Those I've heard of. Giant wolves, supposed to be smarter too."
"Actually, wargs are wolf-headed beastmen," Reinhold says. "I'm not sure exactly where their camp is, but if you follow this trail, chances are good you'll stumble upon it sooner or later."
Dramm looks shocked at Reinhold.
"Wolf heads? I hated dogs already, they never like me... that doesn't help." Dramm begins to pace. "A dozen of the creatures? We barely stood up to 3 of those bones. A dozen... we can't fight that. Not alone. We should consider leaving, going back and telling the Guard. Maybe come with some better armed men."
"Fomors aren't so tough individually. By the time you get all the way to Crossings and back, they might have moved on. Beastmen are a threat to all good people in the world. If you mean to fight them, I'll join you. Not much of a warrior, but my healing magic can help keep you on your feet."
Anophth pondered on the words of Dramm the entire time they were walking.
But when the old man speaks up, he steps on from behind his companions.
His stance is one of confidence, which completely belies his attitude and depression from the last several months. His back is straight, wothba slight lean of his body upon his cane. While his clothes aren't the prestige of when everyone first met him, he still wears them like they were.
Please, allow me to understand with greater clarity, the goblin says. In exchange for removing this band of beastmen, you will mend our injuries and heal our wounds?
"There is no exchange. I will fight by your side to rid the woods of this evil incursion."
Imedren spent the rest of their time in Hamlet resting and contemplating his near death. He'd nearly wandered off with Father Death. He would be much more careful from now on. He couldn't let his hotblooded thoughts get the better of him when he had other options. He gave his thanks to the gods
After giving it some thought he decided he had to do something special for Uruuna.
Imedren was pleased to see a worshiper of one of the Old Gods. It was much more familiar territory with him. Even though it was not the god he directly related to. He waved to the wandering priest of the Green Man.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Reinhold. The Gods must have brought us together on this auspicious day. Any assistance you could grant us would be most welcome."
When Anophth stepped forward and spoke, Imedren saw again the image of the Goblin he had seen on the first day he'd first met him. The strange melancholy that had seemed to have swallowed his friend was gone. Happy surprise welled up inside him and he smiled.
"An auspicious day indeed. Welcome back, Anophth."
You follow the trail of the beastmen to the southwest. Not long afterwards, you hear screaming coming from up ahead.
Hustling towards the sound, you emerge into a small clearing where you can see a muscular woman with dusky skin, short hair, and a few wounds across her arms and side. She is surrounded by a group of five fomors, goat-headed beastmen with horns and bulging eyes. They bleat and jab at the woman with spears as they close in for the kill.
Seeing the woman fighting for her life, Imedren's own uncertainty of battle becomes clear in his mind. He wanted to help immediately but instead he opened his mind and pulled a rush of luck from the aether. It was unpredictable, pushing and pulling like the tide of an ocean but he was betting on the odds being to his favor.
Then he began to move forward. Towards the woman and the goat headed Fomor.
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I am in control. I am in control. I am in control. I am in control.
I am in control. I am in control. I am in control. I am in control.
Anophth repeats the phrase like a mantra as he tries to control the demonic power.
I am in control. I AM IN CONTROL!
Anophth rushes forward at full speed towards the Fomor.
As the Fomor came into view the hair on the back of Tabog's neck stood up. Goat-men, and the Wolf-men. This won't be fun. He ducks into the tree line and tries to move a little ways in and around. Once the fight starts he goes to peg Anophth's target.
Exploit Goat-men
With a battle cry, Uruuna charges into the fray, bashing the nearest fomor with her club!
Dramm hangs slightly as the others move forward, giving them time to spread out and set up an opportunity. He pulls his dagger on the approach, and scoops a stone from the ground.
Anophth and Imedren call upon their magic as they move towards the fight. Uruuna charges in and shatters the fomor's sternum with an overhand strike. Dramm's arcane dart finishes the beastman off. Tabog launches a surprise assault from the foliage, dropping another fomor with a pair of sling stones! Reinhold throws a magic acorn that batters another beastman. Joy misses with her sling. The muscular woman grabs a spear from a fallen fomor, steps away and stabs, but her opponent parries the blow.
The surviving fomors move in, swarming around the woman and Uruuna and attacking as a pack. Uruuna ducks under one spear thrust, but another nicks her on the shoulder. The other woman takes a spear to the side, leaving her bleeding and hurt!
Dramm gives a satisfied snort as the Fomor falls to his dart. He quickly changes targets when the other Fomor's attack. Dramm advances, already cutting apart a Destruction sigil and gritting his teeth against the backlash.
Uruuna winces at the grazing hit. She retaliates, scoring a glancing blow of her own.
Volatile surges of power ebb and flow from Imedren as he glances around, he focuses his gaze at the Goatman who attacked his wife with hatred.
"Die." he says, reaching out and grasping toward the goatman with a violent crushing fist. As he does there was an ebb but even so he held to his power. In return, Imedren's arms filled with a number of small cuts and blood ran down.
Anophth moves in next to Uruuna and strikes a Fomor with his cane, continuing his mantra to himself.
I am in control. I am in control. I am in control.
After his dazzling display of precision Tabog begins to belt out a battle hymn to Uruuna, praising her prowess. His voice begins to split into multiple parts and soon the area is filled by the sound of a small choir!
Imedren's spell tears apart his chosen target, ripping the fomor into bloody chunks. Inspired by Tabog's song, Uruuna bashes the other beastman near her. Anophth moves up and whacks it twice with his cane, the halfling's good fortune rubbing off on him. The fomor falls to the goblin's blows.
Dramm's spell leaves the final fomor bloodied and fatigued. Joy bashes it with a sling bullet, and Reinhold bonks it with an acorn. Magical energy shimmers over the beastman, rooting it to the spot. It bleats in terror as its body twists and transforms into a sapling!
Breathing heavily, the muscular woman turns towards you. "Thanks for the rescue! I'd have been dead meat for sure if you lot hadn't happened along. I'm Delia."
"I am certainly glad we were able to help fend off these beastmen."
Tabog seems to have appeared, suddenly, next the lady in distress. He extends his hand in greeting. In what is now a developing pattern, Tabog bows and kisses the hand of the lovely woman.
"My name is Tabog and these are my friends."
He motions towards each member while providing their names. He turns back to the human with a large smile.
"Are you hurt? We could escort you to safety, I'm sure. Where are you headed to?"
Tabog, once again, looks the woman over and sees another potential option.
"Unless you're hunting these vermin as well? That's what we're doing out here, and could use all the help we can get."
Delia seems quite charmed by Tabog's courtly greeting. She blushes and smiles, looking down at her feet. "I've got some injuries, yeah. Hurts, but I'll survive."
She looks back up and her smile fades. "I'm a treasure hunter by trade, part of a team of four. We were searching these woods for an ancient Elvish shrine rumored to contain a jewel of power. We found the shrine, but I wish we didn't. As soon as we opened it, a bunch of skinless demons rushed out!"
Delia shudders. "Lara, our leader... They killed her. Tore her skin right off her body. The rest of us ran away. I got turned around in the forest, tried to find my way out. The beastmen found me first. I have no idea where my other companions got to--Gerald and Franz."
Anophth kicks at the beastmen, looking at their gear. He says to Dramm, I may sell junk for a living, but there's no way I'm peeling that armor off these things. Ew.
Dramm gives an amused huff at Anophth's comment and kneels down next to one of the dead beastmen.
"Stinking beats dead." With a small smile he begins to remove a set of armor. "They have wolf men. Might be they're able to smell us. Besides, we can leave them here and come back later to sell them."
He does his best to clean the armor while he listens to Delia's story.
"Skinless demons? Might be the things we saw before. When did you open the shrine? Was it within the last week?
"Yeah, five or six days ago. I'll help you fight these beastmen if you promise to help me take out all the demons that we set free. Nobody else should have to suffer for our mistake," Delia says.
Before anyone else can say anything, Anophth join the conversation and says, Sure thing! Think you can scout out the rest of the Fomor and figure the best place to assault them? Maybe we can hit a bunch with stones or something before they get close.
"I'm not much of a woods woman," Delia admits. "I'm much more of an in-your-face kind of gal. If I tried to scout I'd likely wind up following my own tracks in circles!"
Reinhold laughs. "This band wouldn't have roamed too far from the main encampment. They're likely only a few miles away. I'll lead us along their trail to get to where they came from."
Dramm finishes donning the stinking armor.
"Sounds good to me. I have only minor healing. I can lessen your wounds if you would like, Delia."
"I'd appreciate that!" she replies. Dramm's spell causes the wound from the fomor's spear to mostly seal itself. Delia nods in thanks.
"I'll keep my healing spells in reserve to revive anybody who falls in battle," Reinhold says.
Thanks, Anophth says. Any chance you can do anything about the smell? he asks, gesturing at Dramm.
"Your strength would be more then appreciated. Seeing you stand against these animals inspired the battle hymn that empowered Uruuna! Thank you."
Tabog smiles at Delia and places a hand on her shoulder.
"If Dramm is right then we may have encountered the demons already, although on did flee in the midst of battle... At a farm not terribly far from here."
"When we get close to the wargs' territory I can scout ahead and see what we're dealing with so there are no surprises."
Reinhold chuckles at Anophth's question. "Nothing magical, alas, but perhaps we'll chance upon a stream where you can wash the gear the old-fashioned way."
Delia gives Tabog a playful shove. "Oh, go on! Flatterer!" She makes no move to remove his hand from her shoulder. "Well, let's move out, then. Daylight's burning."
***
As you head deeper into the woods, boulders and chunks of old elvish statuary make the forest floor uneven and difficult to traverse. You've gone another hour or so when howls and snarls announce the presence of more foes. On the trail ahead is a pack of three wolf-headed beastmen--wargs! They brandish their battleaxes as they rush towards you!
Dramm points to the nearest charging Warg and commands its body to be undone as he carves away a glowing figure.
"That howl will draw more if they're nearby. Stay together."
Anophth prepares for them to come to him.
As the they hear the wolf-men Tabog removes his arm from around Delia's waist and loads his sling. As they charge he whips a stone at the weakest pup.
Imedren picked up a spear and shield from the Fomor he'd violently wrenched apart with his magic.
"Might be useful."
Imedren had quickly felt like gotten a headache from earlier once the spells had worn off and had been fairly quiet since then. Likely a side effect of the spells he'd used.
When the snarls and howls became loud he shook his head clear.
"Right." he said, takes a deep breath. "Uruuna, be careful with these things." As he cleared his mind he opened himself to the rushing flow of magic for the second time that day.
"Okay, here we go."
The lead warg fends off Joy's and Tabog's sling bullets with its shield, but Dramm's spell leaves the creature bruised and drained, and Reinhold's acorn slows it down. Uruuna, Anophth, and Delia form a front line at the head of the party, weapons at the ready.
The wargs rush in one, the wounded one slower than the others. Anophth brings his cane up to shatter that one's jaw, dropping it, but the other two fend off Uruuna and Delia's attacks. Uruuna takes an axe hit to the shoulder while Delia avoids her opponent's blow.
Angered by her injury, Uruuna leaps up and cracks the warg's skull!
Dramm unleashes destructive energy at the warg that hacked at Uruuna.
"Take one alive." Dramm snarls as the creature in front of Uruuna is pulled apart by his destructive magic. Bloody chunks of flesh rain down among his allies. "I want to question it."