Gigon continued to do his best at attempting to stab this poor mutated thing.
With a brilliant flury of attacks, Milo manages to kill one of the wolves while Pollo cracks down with his flail with brutal precision. The blow is so solid that he bursts a pustule, spraying himself with acid! Osveta drags herself to the room, missing with an axe chop. Gigon is forced to reposition to attack the remaining wolf but to no avail.
BZHT
Anghariel's electric arc goes off, zapping the remaining wolf who dodges the worst of it. The wolf leaps at Pollo in turn! With two vicious bites, Pollo goes down, bleeding out.
Pollo (0 hp, dying 1)
---
Mutant Wolves
Yellow: (-34)
---
Anghariel
Osveta
Gigon
Milo
Seeing an overcome Pollo hit the ground, the elf bites back a shout of alarm. Instead, she redoubles her efforts to bring down the remaining wolf-monster by subjecting it to another burst of electricity.
Milo turned to Pollo and tried to revive him, "Pollo, wake up!"
Then he stepped forward and tried to stab the remaining wolf.
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Pollo, wake up!
The young man rolls over in bed, silken sheets rolling with him. He groans something unintelligible and doesn't move.
Wake up you idiot, father is on his way upstairs.
That got Pollo moving.
Not very gracefully though. Tumbling off the edge of the bed in a tangle of sheets, the noble boy, youngest of seven, twists himself in circles until he is on his feet, scrambling out of the sheets and in a flurry to put on his breeches and shirt. He was supposed to go with his father down to the arena today for the first time, and he couldn't wait.
Last month was supposed to be the first time, but his father ended up being busy. Then two weeks ago, same thing. This time would be different right?
Donning an exquisite tunic with golden threaded embroidery of his family crest just as his father opened the door, Pollo beamed.
"Not today son. Another time perhaps."
As quickly as he entered, Pollo's father was out the door. The youth rolled his eyes, trying to hide his disappointment. His oldest brother, the one who woke him up and was still standing quietly in the corner, knew though.
"You dunce. Why do you let him get your hopes up?" he says with a smile, and Pollo knew his big brother was about to cheer him up. "Alright, if he won't take you, I will. Not a word though."
With a shout of joy, Pollo rushes over to the weapon rack and strappes on his short sword, then pulls his breastplate down from it's resting place.
"Woah woah woah, you won't be needing that. We've got the guards to go with us. Do you think you are going to fight or something? Seriously kid, you've got to stop it with that. Pollo, wake up!"
POLLO, WAKE UP! the words echo in his head as the memory swirles away and is replaced by the dark, low tunnel and the burning of the acid from the wolves. Pollo's eyes snap open as he tries to make sense of his surroundings and seperate dream from reality.
"Seriously, what is it with acid wolves!?!" he shouts from the ground.
"GET OFF OF HIM," Osveta roars as she wildly hacks into the remaining wolf.
◆
◆
◆
There came the distinct sound of a cork popping off of a vial, then another, and a third. Those that turn to look see two empty vials on the ground by Gigons feet as he put a cork on the vial he was holding and shook it a couple of times.
Turning to Pollo, "Drink this!" He said hurriedly before turning to the remaining beast.
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Milo stabs the wofl once but then Osveta just loses her s$## and hacks the remaining wolf to bits. Thankfully, Pollo seems to be okay - he just got all sorts of bit up.
End of Combat
The wolves are now dead and as you deal with your wounds you find yourself looking at a glowing, oily pool in the centre of the den.
Catching her breath Osveta points at Pollo. ”Stop getting chewed up by wolves. Stop it!”
Milo caught his breath after the last acid wolf fell. He looked over at the pool, "What do you make of this?"
“Yes, you are not going to make a habit of this, I hope?” she joins Osveta in lightly berating Pollo, though the note of relief in her voice is hard to miss.
“Well, the last time we encountered a glowing pool like this one, a lightning-spewing serpent came out of it,” Anghariel cautions, only slowly moving closer. Still, she wonders…
Gigon cleaned his dagger and sheathed it.
Kneeling down at one of the wolves and pulling out one of his probes and began poking in specific areas. Focusing specifically on the obvious mutations of the eyes and mouth.
Pollo accepts the admonishment from Osveta and Anghariel with a wry grin now that the fighting is over. "I dunno, it has been a life long goal to be chewed to pieces and dissovled to nothingness by acidic drool, you guys are going to have to try harder to talk me out of this..." Pollo chuckles, playing along and trying to cover his fear for what nearly happened with an attempt at humor.
"Thanks," Pollo says a bit sheepishly to everyone, nodding to Gigon for the elixir and Milo for the quick healing.
Pollo stands up to shake off the wounds and moves around the cramped cavern a bit. He looks over Milo's shoulder and Anghariel's trying to help as best he can, but realizing he is likely more in the way than anything else. So he tries to help by looking for other details that the rest of the group might not be focused on right now.
He notices very little.
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Osveta just stares at the Chelaxian before just flatly saying. "I'd try to bribe you with sex but at this point I question your ability to function, upstairs, downstairs, and in the living room."
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Pollo raises an eyebrow, his wry grin deepening. "Well clearly you can see I've no problem swinging a sword. Nor have a I had a problem getting back up..." he pauses for a moment, "after getting knocked down."
With a wink, "I mean... I can be bought."
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”For coppers at that,” Osveta quips with a smirk.
Pollo puts his hand over his heart, feigning being wounded deeply. "Surely you think I'm worth more than that." Pollo dusts his breeches off, readjusting his belt for no apparent reason.
"Well the next time we come across acid spitting wolves maybe we just see what deep seated longing wins my heart in the moment. The way this trip has gone, we may not have to wait that long to find out."
The brash youth tries his best to play it cool, but cannot seem to wipe the grin off of his face.
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”Well you wanted my two coppers,” Osveta couldn’t help herself. ”Oh, so it’s whichever wolf’s venom spitting is greater then, eh?”
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Pollo opens his mouth to protest, not for any reason than to keep the banter going, but realizes the sharp-witted woman just put him in a corner before he knew what was happening. He stutters for a moment before attempting to recover, "Well... I. uh."
What the hell just happened?
"I mean if you want to keep me from death by an acid spitting wolf that badly... I mean... I'm just saying " Pollo blushes.
What am I? 13?
"Yea, You could convince me." He nods his head, failing miserably at playing it cool.
Oh thank the gods, at least my voice didn't crack...
”Could?” she cooes at the faltering Fighter.
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"Sure, If I survive this little trip into the woods I think you should show me that your bribe is far better than the... alternative." he says, regaining a bit of his confidence, and kicking the dead wolf for effect.
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”If there’s anything left of you, sure,” she happily agrees.
You take a while to recover from the fight while the learned of you gather around to see what you can make of this strange glowing pool. While Anghariel recognizes that this has been tainted by something unnatural, it is Gigon who recognizes what it is.
The taint is mutagenic in nature, causing those who drink it to pay a terrible price.
A dour look crosses the Gnome's face. Turning to the others, "This isn't a magical affliction. Someone has been experimenting with alchemy, and not for the betterment of all. What I'm unsure of though is to whether or not the pollution of this pool was deliberate or an accidental byproduct of improper disposal."
Now that the immediate treat was gone, Milo went to find Noala. "The water is contaminated with some sort of mutagen. There were more terribly mutated, acidic wolves in there."
After discussing the findings with the elf, he returned to the group, and started patching up Pollo's wounds (again!).
"I swear I'm not trying to make this a regular thing... doc." Pollo pauses before adding the implied title with a grin as Milo stitches up his wounds yet again.
"A deliberate pollution would be... well just plain wicked." Pollo responds to Gigon. "Someone who doesn't know how to get rid of their waste would still deserve a quick kick in the rear for the careless damage they are causing, if that is the reason. Either way, at least we know a little more now. There is no doubt in my mind that whomever Hallod was working for is behind this. My gut says this is much more likely to be deliberate than not." Pollo muses as Milo tightens another bandage around his leg where the mutated wolves chomped down.
While studying the pool, Anghariel could not help but overhear the…exchange between Osveta and Pollo. Was it banter? Earnest conversation? Courtship? She really could not be sure; the one thing she did feel certain of was that her understanding of human culture was rather less substantial than she thought.
“But where did this pollution actually come from?” she wonders out loud. “It seems like the groundwater itself may be tainted. There must be some way of locating the source of these alchemical contaminants.”
"So someone's been dumping or setting up these alchemical pollution spots and that's warping the wildlife. Probably the same person Hallod was working for." Osveta thinks aloud alongside Anghariel's thoughts.
You all emerge to find that Milo has located Noala, who has killed two wolves of her own.
"Stragglers, trying to sneak into the den after you went in."
You explain what you have discovered and she nods slowly. "I agree, I believe the groundwater here is contaminated. But we do not the source. However, there is a great blight that I have not dared to approach alone. We should make haste for it immediately, it is a day from here."
She pauses. "Unless you need rest in Etran's Folly." It's clear she wants to go -now- though.
Pollo lifts each leg in turn, stretching his muscles and rotating his feet to test out Milo's bandages. Satisfied that things are working like they should, he nods. "I'm ready, let's find this source and deal with it. The sooner the better."
"Plus, I'm itching to know whether or not I make it back in one piece," he says with a wry grin, winking at Osveta.
Keeping the banter light, Pollo jokes and makes ready to move. Phoenix meanders about the area, occasionally brushing up against a member of the group in an unabashed attempt at getting scritches behind her ears. While all this happens, Pollo takes a renewed, subtle assessment of Noala.
Is... she behind all this? Could she be the one that Hallod was working for? She could be conveniently having us help her investigate while separating us from the town far enough to dispose of us. Whomever this person is, they know that we are the only threat to whatever they have been doing.
Or I am just being paranoid.
Is it paranoia if they really are out to get you though?
Pollo finally shakes off the thoughts in his head. No sense in worrying about that now, it wouldn't change what they are doing. Maybe I should tell the others though, just so we all aren't caught completely off guard, in case somehow I am actually right...
Milo answered Noala, "I'm ready to head to the blight. Anyone else wounded? Now's a good time for me to treat any injuries."
He patted the friendly puppy when she came near.
“I exhausted a significant portion of my magic clearing out the wolves’ den,” she says in response to Noala’s not-so-subtle prodding, “but I’m uninjured at least. If we must press on immediately, I suppose there’s nothing preventing my doing so.”
While Anghariel is not exactly wary of Phoenix, she maintains a certain respectful distance all the same. As such, allowing the dog to sniff her hand is about as much as she’ll permit.
Pollo senses Anghariel's minor discomfort with Phoenix's presence. Some people just aren't dog people, and that's ok. "Phoenix, c'mere girl!" he says playfully, not wanting to make the elf uncomfortable.
Phoenix's tail begins to wag with the attention. Immediately recognizing the game, she bounds off behind some of the trees, waiting for Pollo to chase her. The young man hangs his head in mock exasperation, chuckling to himself.
"Seriously, how do other people do this? Is she the only one who goes the opposite way when called?"
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Milo replied to Pollo with a shrug, "Don't look at me — no experience in animal training here."
Noala travels ahead of you, moving very quickly as she takes you through difficult trails in the forest. "I did not notice this centre of the blight until it had grown very large. Come, we must make haste. It is a difficult journey."
As she presses on ahead of you, you're afforded the opportunity to speak among yourselves. The forest around here is dense brush of mixed trees and it's hard to see too far ahead.
With Noala a little ways ahead, Pollo speaks in a low voice to his companions as they work to keep up. "I might be crazy, but I'm starting to suspect that Noala might be the one behind all of this. She seems to know just enough to take us deeper into the woods and further away from town, yet didn't care to share any of this with the town before Bort was killed? I dunno... Like I said. I might be crazy, but some things just keep adding up to red flags... Just be on your guard and be careful what we share." Pollo sighs and shrugs his shoulders, glad at least to get that off of his mind.
As they walked the Gnome thought to himself.
What are they trying to accomplish? What is the purpose of such a mutagen? What am I missing?
The Alchemist experience with mutagens was very limited as Master Vollez wasn't a proponent. "Unpredictable and Addictive" he used to say.
No, they're not creating mutagens, they're creating something else. But what?
Gigon's thoughts were interrupted as the hound came up to him. "Oh, hello there." He quickly scratched behind her ear.
At Pollo's theory, the Gnome shook his head. "I don't think so. For one, I've known Ranger types from my own small town. Community-oriented ones like Noala tend to not be murderers. Also, everyone in town knows we're with her it would be hard to spin we were killed by 'name a beast'. No, we can trust her."
“Delma did say her father doesn’t trust Noala. But, well, he seemed like he wouldn’t trust most people, didn’t he?” Anghariel pauses. “And I must say the townsfolk struck me as being a little blasé about those mutant wolves that attacked the caravan – I could imagine their either not understanding that something is very wrong here or not wishing to hear it, as long as their turnips were doing well.”
The elf glances ahead in Noala’s general direction. “That odd gauntlet she wears, though…if she really is involved in all this alchemical strangeness, maybe it conceals a mutation of some sort?” There’s a stoic look on her face as she makes her way through the undergrowth, not letting the unpleasantness of navigating these rough trails barefoot get to her. “I don’t know what to think. If it proved absolutely necessary and she was up to something we could probably, ah, subdue her as long as she does not catch us entirely off our guard.”
"I have nothing in the way of proof other than my own paranoid ramblings, so you are probably right Gigon. It just started gnawing at my brain, and I would feel foolish if I were right and didn't at least prepare everyone for the possibility."
Feeling more reassured, Pollo whistles for Phoenix and continues to follow the hard pace being set by Noala.
Milo wasn't sure that there was anything untoward about Noala, but he had to admit that they didn't know much about her. He'd learned from his years in the Night Scales not to take people's motives for granted. Better keep an eye on her, just in case.
The journey is a miserable forced march through the forest, and by the time you finally arrive at the source of the blight, only an hour of daylight remains. The effect is immediate as you are on the edge of a line of plants dying.
"I don't know what lies ahead but I have some gifts for you before you venture forth into the blight."{/b]
She produces a few potions, handing them out.
[b]"If you want to rest before we go in, now is the time."
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Pollo grabs one of the potions of barkskin before realizing that proper manners might suggest he see if anyone else wants it, then sheepishly offers it to the rest of the group. I mean, If I am going to have a chance of making it back to town and taking Osveta up on her bribe, I need all the help I can get...
"I am ready, but I can keep myself busy if others would prefer to rest."
With Noala's expertise you set up an excellent camp and bed down for the night. Despite being on the edge of a very, very healthy part of the forest you are not attacked.
"Good luck, I'm going to keep at the perimeter as I'm as likely to be a liability in a fight as much as I am an asset. I will warn you if there are any attacks coming from behind."
With that, you press inwards into the blight.
The blight here is much stranger than the blight you visited before - the corruption apepars to manifest in distinct bands. The first band is like the area around the wolf den, with rotting trees and dying plants.
Deeper in, all the plants have died; they are limp and rotten, and the air stinks with sweet decay. There are no birds or insects here - only the remains of creatures foolish enough to eat the poisonous plants.
Finally, you enter the third area where the smaller plants have returned to life... for the worse. The trees and plants drip with an oily sap and the branches are gnarled yet pliable - the bark looks like scales. The plants are covered in odd pustules that emit a faintly glowing light, and biting gnats swarm around the plants.
As you reach what feels like the middle band , it's hard to tell where to go next. Clearly you're heading for the interior of the blight - but where is the centre exactly?
As he prepared his various pouches quick access to his ingredients, the Gnome whipped up a couple of healing potions and handed them to Pollo and Osveta, "Drink these first to heal yourselves. They'll only last until this time tomorrow. I put some twine around the necks of the vials so you can tell by touch as well."
While they pressed on into the blight Gigon was getting thoroughly creeped out, but at least he wasn't feeling like he was watched. However, his curious nature had him wandering a little close to the odd vegetable matter from time to time, even poking at it with his brass probing needle.
Fascinating. This is most certainly deliberate. But to what purpose?
Upon getting to the point where they were unsure where to go the Alchemist began looking about very methodically.
“How utterly…vile,” the wizard remarks, not even trying to keep the skirts of her robes out of the muck any more as the party make their way deeper and deeper into the blighted area. Having dabbled in the necromantic arts she is no stranger to sights, smells and other sensations that would repulse most folk, but somehow what she finds herself immersed in now is worse still. “I wouldn’t be surprised at all if this stretch of land never recovered from its alchemical corruption.”
She looks around for a while, then shakes her head. “None of my magic will be of any use in finding our way here, I fear.” Gigon does seem to have a plan of some sort, though, so she does whatever she can to give him a hand.