Ruins of Azlant IC 2

[SanguinePenguin]

Taz keeps talking to the two slimy people as she gets them wet, as they walk, and as they eat. Finally, she reaches a conclusion about Rayland. She waits until she has the opportunity, and pulls the other party members out of ear shot. “Something is wrong with Rayland. I think… no, I know he is being controlled. His actions and behaviors are just not plausible for a person. I am certain of this. I worry what will happen if we bring him to the colony with that master’s hooks in him.”

[DarkOne-Rob]

"You don't want to leave them, do you? Probably better to lock him up, right?" asks Henri quietly.

[Farmerbink]

Jessica frowns, struggling to come up with a better solution. "For now, it's enough that we know. Don't trust him, and be ready to intervene. Make sure everyone knows- one at a time so our guests don't get wise." As Tazmara makes her lingering rounds at lunch, Jessica steps up to conjure some water for their odd guests.

"I figured I would give Taz a break. It's a bit of a walk still before we get back to the colony.... but I guess you must already know that? We've managed to recover everything built by the first wave, though we had to drive off some large insects and a weird tentacle-y thing..." She feels a bit awkward making small talk to cover for Taz, but only because she knows the danger. Still, it's more than easy enough for her to ramble politely enough.

[farothel]

Laurelata had been scouting around to make sure they weren't ambushed.

"Could that 'hook' be magical," she asked, "maybe we can see what it is. That at least could give us an idea on how to get it out."

She looked at Rayland.
"Say, what happened when you arrived down here," she asked, "when we came here, as Jessica said, there were all kinds of weird critters. When did those start to pop up."

Spoiler: OOC rolls

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now she's warned: sense motive: (1d20+6)[10]

[u-b]

Rayland is slow to respond, but eventually says something. "Wilderness. Local wildlife. As expected. We could do with that much." Something they couldn't do with was left out of the answer, but it seems clear not to be local wildlife.

[DarkOne-Rob]

Henri snorts at Rayland's answer contemptuously. "Then what happened to you two? What ran you out of the colony and into that tower?"

[u-b]

"Was knocked out asleep. Told you." Rayland still does not seem very talkative. Eliza does a bit better. "I was exploring the island. Would not say anything "ran me out of the colony". In fact, was planning to return to the colony after the trip, it just didn't happen."

[DarkOne-Rob]

"How long ago was that? Why didn't you go before we showed up?"

[DaOldeWolf]

While Henri is speaking to the two, Hewitt decides to whisper to the rest of the party. "I might have something that could potentially release our guest from this control but it might fail. And I dont know how ur guests would react to me casting or even approaching them to do it."

[farothel]

"We'll distract him and you cast from behind him," Laurelata whispered back, "no problem. Maybe a bit closer to the town though."

[u-b]

"I've told you, it's been several months! Hard to track time there with no sun to tell the day from the night!" Eliza seems a bit angry. "How would you expect me to go in a state like this?! You have to use magic just to keep us alive!" Then she seems to calm down a little. "Besides, we still do not know what will come out of it."

[DarkOne-Rob]

Henri leads the party closer to town, occasionally "poking" at the enchanted man and his female companion with pointed, short questions. It seems his intent is to keep their attention focused on him so that Hewitt can cast his spell without being noticed.

[farothel]

"We'll try what we can to get you cured," Laurelata said, trying to put them at ease, "we have Jessica here and there's other clerics who might know what's going on and who can help."
She keeps an eye on the surroundings, to avoid being ambushed. With Henri, Jessica, Taz and Hewitt looking out for the two, she could look to something else.

Spoiler: OOC rolls

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perception: (1d20+9)[12]

[DaOldeWolf]

Hewitt stays near to Lightburn as he waits for the time to cast his spell on the other side from Henri. Meanwhile Lightburn keeps himself on the front keeping its senses up for anything that might appear. Hewitt seizes the chance during a poke by Henri casting the spell and using it on the man.

Spoiler: OOC

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Casting protection from evil and using it on the man.

[u-b]

The man seem to have noticed yet another spell cast at him, but does not seem to react to it one way or another.

Spoiler: If anyone watches Eliza while this spell is cast

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Eliza seems quite worried for a moment, but then acts as if there was nothing amiss.

[DarkOne-Rob]

From where he's standing in front of the odd pair, Henri sees their reactions (or lack thereof) and frowns a little. Then he shrugs, clearly not understanding the magic used or its effects and continues leading the party and their two...guests?...back towards the colony.

[DaOldeWolf]

Hewitt gets worried since nothing seems to have changed with the casting of his spell. He could try again later after the first one wore off but he wasnt sure about how many chances he would get before they were caught on.

[farothel]

Laurelata was surprised that there wasn't more reaction, although she was aware that the changes weren't necessary visible. So she started talking to them, to try and see if there was an internal change.

Spoiler: OOC rolls

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sense motive: (1d20+6)[9]
in case it's needed to avoid notice of what I'm doing: bluff: (1d20+6)[18]

[u-b]

Laurelata notices no change in either Eliza or Rayland as you continue your way through the wilderness towards the village.

Spoiler

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Going right there or still something to do along the way?

[Farmerbink]

Jessica shares her companion's observations and concerns, frowning thoughtfully. "We'll just have to see how that goes," she comments, ruefully, on Laurelata's heels. "I will certainly do my best to take care of you both and find a cure, but this is not something I'm used to dealing with. It may take some time."

After a brief, concerned pause, she adds. "Miss Eliza, do you have any idea how you both contracted such a disease? It occurs to me we're not taking much precaution to protect ourselves, which could already prove to have disastrous results. At the very least, I think we should maybe all quarantine together once we reach the colony. If we're already infected, that ship has sailed, but there's no good reason to expose the whole second wave when we don't know what we're dealing with yet... Perhaps we should make camp some distance from the colony proper, and send only one of us the last few hundred feet to report our discoveries and your rescue?"

[farothel]

"Good idea," Laurelata said, picking up on what Jessica was trying, "and no offense, but you look rather strange. Knowing how some people will react, it will also be safer for you."

[DaOldeWolf]

Hewitt remains quiet for a moment. He still was trying to avoid giving much attention to himself in the current state of business. Hopefully, he could try again to break the control if it hadnt worked the first time. Maybe, with some help from the clergy. "We could ask the church for assistance on your healing while in quarantine. "

[u-b]

Eliza is most certain she's contracted the disease in the tower and suspects Rayland got it there too. She does not provide more detailed information about the disease's origins or transmission. The pair agrees to remain quarantined, especially along with the group. The sun begins to set when you are back to the village. You stop a few hundred feet from the stockade and call for Marius, to whom you explain the situation. You manage to get two sufficiently large tents erected for you to live in. While you were at it, Marius informs you that during the stormy night all the goats were stolen and there are fresh choker footprints, but that is much less problematic than what you have encountered.

Spoiler

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Resting for the night? Doing anything else or camping for whatever number of days? You will be provided food and water.

[farothel]

"I think we best check on those chokers tomorrow," Laurelata said, "it's best to leave the priests in the village to see for a cure and we can continue to protect the town and if they need to have some strange ingredients, we can go hunting for those as well."

She would do her shift on watch that night, but also make sure she has enough sleep to be ready for the hunt the next day.

[DarkOne-Rob]

"Recovering goats and killing chokers is something I can do, at least," agrees Henri with a meaningful glance at their two "guests." "Curing diseases and...other things is beyond me. I'll help after I stand the late watch tonight."

[DaOldeWolf]

Hewitt wonders about the goats and about whatever ugly thing that could have been behind it. "This is certainly something we should take in account. I suppose we should be ready to put extra defenses on the village on stormy nights just in case....." Hewitt yawns feeling ready to go to sleep.

[Farmerbink]

Jessica is disturbed by the news, but puts a good face on it. It won't help anything to add more stress to the mix... That night she goes above and beyond to make sure everyone is as comfortable as possible- it's frustrating to sleep in a tent a few hundred yards from more comfortable lodging, and she's eager to do what she can to boost morale. In the late evening light, she offers to recite a few of the deeds of Shelyn (traditionally historical entertainment, as I understand it), and begins painting a sunset scene as daylight wanes.

"I want to meet with the priests in the morning- at least from a distance- and see if they can help us find a way to cure this malady. After that, I don't see any great reason to not hunt down the chokers. We won't last long if our livestock keep getting snatched in the night."

[u-b]

The night is not terribly comfortabe, but not worse than at any other wilderness camp. Those standing guard notice the fires burned through the night at the vilage and the guards changed occasionally, as per the previously established protocol. Both Rayland and Eliza wrap themselves in wet blankets, but still have to wet the rest of their skin fairly often, so they do not sleep well for both feeling cold and waking up often, but they seemed to be used to it.

DAY 32 AFTER LANDING

The morning is still a bit windy, but the clouds are fairly sparse and the sun shines, starting to dry the dew off the grass. Your tents are being watched by the guards, but so far no one is approaching. Eliza gets out of her tent and also gets Rayland out. They don't seem like they are going anywhere, just observing the village, which starts to get busy with all sorts of the usual activity.

Spoiler

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I'd want to know how tight you stick to that "quarantine" thing. That is, to what extent it's for show, to what extent it's for real, whether you talk close and personal to any colonist(s), etc. Ramona would be certainly one to request a debriefing, whatever form that might take.

[DarkOne-Rob]

Henri is already awake when the others get up, having stood the last watch. He's got a fire going to cook breakfast and has been calling to the sentries along the wall of the colony to discuss getting food dropped off where the party can get it without entering the community. By all appearances he plans to take the quarantine seriously, though he'll defer to the others if they plan to do otherwise.

[SanguinePenguin]

Tazmara doesn’t like any of this. She feels like she’s led a pair of vile decapodes into their village. While somehow persuading them to wait outside has bought time, they really needed a solution, which they didn’t really have. While she hoped Ramona could help, she also was worried about the possibility of people replacements that came from their discussion with Weatherbee.

Now back near camp, Taz decides to ask the hard questions that she had been holding off. “So Eliza, I remembered that someone told us a story that you were held hostage by some statues. Is that true?”