Tide of Shadows

[SirNitram]

Volemack's head hurt. He curled up. "Nightmare." He muttered to Ceridwen. "Jus' nightmare. Gonna go back sleep." And he yawned as only a little child could. If a little child had that mouth.

[LadyTevar]

"You've been asleep for hours!" Ceridwen retorted, trying to ignore the cuteness the sleepy little dragon offered. "Look, it's sunrise! Get up, go for a flight, and come back."

[Charon]

Eight had taken to whittling tree branches during the boring ride. and was just finishing another impromptu spear as the others spoke.

"Fleshbags and sleep. I'll never understand how you can happily waste so much time..."

[rhoenix]

Fehl only rolled his eyes. One got the feeling this might be a familiar conversation between he and Eight. "Yeah, and you don't understand the allure of the feminine form, either. Or drinking. Or revelry. Who the hell made you without a sense of fun, anyway?"

[Charon]

The construct snorted. "Yes, because some skinny, weaker humanoid is somehow better than being a thicker, weak humanoid. And doing..." Eight paused, as though attempting to think of the right word. In the end he couldn't "the exchange of fluids for recreation is clearly the height of excitement. As is imbibing until you regurgitate your fluids." Eight looked around. "My idea of 'fun' is on the battlefield."

[rhoenix]

"Ah, so you do like the 'exchange of fluids,' you just prefer it to be blood," said Fehl with a smirk. "So how long does it take you to clean yourself so you don't look like a big blood clot when you're done, anyway?"

[Academia Nut]

"We should get back to Ashvale by midafternoon, and with any luck the records wagon will get here by noonish the day after tomorrow," the halfling leader told the group as everyone settled back down after the awakening of the other two.

[Charon]

"About time" Eight grumbled. "If I have to put up with their stench any longer I may go mad."

[Rogue 9]

"You can smell?" Bartel raised an eyebrow. Curiouser and curiouser.

[Charon]

"No. By the Gods you fleshbags are gullible." Eight laughed as he leaned back in the cart.

[rhoenix]

"Of course he can smell," Fehl replied with a smirk as he looked up from reading. "You should've met him a month ago, when he lost a bet and had to clean out a noble's stables."

[Comrade Tortoise]

"I appreciate the pun" Said ophidian as he peered up from his spellbook. He had since woken up and was in the process of preparing spells.

[LadyTevar]

Ceridwen simply shook her head and got the cart moving again.

[Academia Nut]

The rest of the day was sombre, if uneventful travel, as they approached Ashvale, a light summer rain kicking up for a few hours and slowing them down to the point where they arrived at the walls just as the sun was getting low in the sky.

Peering down over the walls, the captain of the guard cried out, "You lot! You're back! We got word from the halflings earlier today. The warriors are to report to the mayor, while Father Almos wants to see Father Bartel right away."

[Comrade Tortoise]

"And I sir? To whom ought I report?" the wizard asked dryly. He would probably be asked who he was and all that.

[rhoenix]

"Oh, come along with us," Fehl said as he and Eight were readying themselves to go. "Just swing your staff threateningly a bit, that should do."

[SirNitram]

Volemack was back in human form now, and grinned. "Sir yes sir!" He tried a rather sloppy salute as he was told where to head, clearly viewing this as exactly the right move for this second.

[Rogue 9]

Bartel hopped down from the cart. "Captain, if you'd have one of your men see my cart to the stable, I'd be glad of it. I fear there's no time to lose in reporting to Father Almos." With that, he hurried into the town, making for the temple.

[LadyTevar]

Ceridwen reached out casually and bapped the back of Volemack's head. "Behave. We taught you better manners than that."

She gave a pat to her warsteed, handing his reigns over to one of the guards. "Please see that he gets a good rubdown and oats. I'll pay for it after we see the Mayor. Come, Volemack," the last was said over her shoulder as she strode off towards the center of town.

[Academia Nut]

Leading them to the town hall, the guards escorted them inside to where the mayor sat, looking grim. He then asked, "We've heard the report from the halflings, but you were apparently the ones who actually had first hand experience with what happened, so tell us exactly what you encountered."

---

Meanwhile Bartel had entered the temple, the refugees still there but looking more ragged and hungry than when he had last seen them but two days ago. They remained silent and fearful at his presence, but before he could get an explanation for why Father Almos bustled him into the back.

Bartel's fellow priest looked haggard, bags under his eyes as if he had not slept at all since Bartel had left. He looked furtively about before he said in a small, almost frightened yet frantic voice, "We ah... we have a problem brother. There is a disease starting to spread amongst the refugees, and I ah... I'm at a loss right now. St. Cuthbert seems unwilling to bless me with the magic I need to deal with it. Perhaps... perhaps he is upset that I did not accompany you?"

[Charon]

Eight was back to being silent, his movements less natural and he did not seem curious, he was acting the part of the golem again.

[Comrade Tortoise]

Ophidian looked at the others, noticing the Construct was down-playing his own intellect

"Should I handle the exposition, or would one of you prefer?" he asked the others. His mask was up like a knight's visor at this point

[Rogue 9]

Bartel resisted the urge to curse. "I will do what I can, brother. I do not know why the Saint has chosen to withhold his blessings from you, but I will pray that he set it right. Help me get this armor off, will you?" He began to remove the heavy plates of his armor.

[LadyTevar]

"Please Ophidian, do."

[Comrade Tortoise]

"Very Well Lady Knight" he said in a manner that at least seemed Cordial.

"From what I gather you sent them to the village to investigate mysterious deaths of the villagers. When they arrived they encountered a wailing spirit, which in a round about way led them to the vilage's church of St. Cuthbert, where they encountered all of the villagers dead, they also encountered the priest who had been driven mad and been transformed upon his suicide into an Allip. Ask questions at any time M'Lord. After they defeated him (and Fehl and Volemack became supernaturally dumb), the wailing spirit materialized and apparently asked them to retrieve her bow from the well, as she had fallen in and died after being driven to stupidity by the dead priest earlier. They did so, laying her to rest but at the same time discovering the remains of a shrine or temple of the dead god of dreams Noxeus, which they find out after I get there." The wizard paused, collecting his thoughts

"I arrived in town shortly after they went down the well, investigated the church, pulled out documents and was preparing to cremate the bodies when the halflings showed up and made me account for my presense on pain of death. After convincing them that a dark robed wizard did indeed not kill everyone, they allowed me down the well to investigate the ruins.

I found the shrine, and identified the God, who is a god of dreams, protection, and secrets. One of the older, less soft and cuddly tribal gods that was eventually supplanted by Boccob. We existed. At this point I had a chance to read the documents, and talk to the halflings. I figured out a rough timeline of events, the reconstruction of which I will give you in a moment. And do try to avoid your eyes glazing over. Pay attention M'Lord.

As soon as Fehl touched the Divinity Carving of Noxeus he fell into a deep slumber. I tried to figure out what was going on, and found a way to enter his dreamscape using a thought detection spell. Through the Divine Dreamscape I managed to reconstruct the chain of events as follows, as well as predict the future. The statue it seems brings those affected by certain undead into a dreamscape, challenges them, and heals them of the damage. Arcanists can ride in with certain spells, priests I think just have to cast any spell. Not sure on that though.

The Halfling caravan was killed and transformed by a small army of the walking undead. Shadows to be precise. These shadows then commenced to menace the town at near the same time as the well was being excavated. They huddled into their church for protection but their priest could not dispel the shadows and was eventually driven mad. When he committed suicide the shadows moved in, and proceeded to kill and convert everyone in the town.

This tells us a few things. These shadows are organized and have a plan. They are not intelligent enough for this on their own. In order to control the army of undead whoever is doing this is either extremely powerful or has an artifact which amplifies his power. His plan, or rather the only plan that makes sense, is to move from town to town repeating the scenario I just laid out until a sizeable army is created. Villagers will flock to walled cities out of fear, and army of undead this size can effectively besiege any city, even if they cannot get past the priests and mages that guard it. But they do not need to. The bodies lying dead in the fields will do that. The uneaten unguarded grain stores will be eaten by rats. Rats carry plague and nothing keeps them out of anything. Eventually the populations will swell and they will be attracted to the only sources of food left. The cities. Can you see where I am going with this?"