After waking the following day, the group begin making their slow descent from the dwarven ruins, careful to avoid any sharp drops. As the group approaches the ground, Ceiba spots some small raptor-like lizards running across the bottom of the cliffside, the largest of which hisses and fans out its neck frills. Ceiba responds similarly, and the creature seems cowed before eventually moving on.
Moving back through dense forest towards the road, Ceiba spots a drug tree and picks around 2lb of flowers over the next hour or so as this tree’s blossoms have a very strong and pleasant fragrance. During this time, Aneirin sustainably shaves off around 15 or so helpings of bark from the tree which has mildly hallucinogenic and anaesthetic properties, and doses his water bottle with tree sap which is also known to cause hallucination.
After another hour or so, the group reach the intended road and once more call Femen and the wagon for the journey to Keskala. At around noon and not long after passing a fork in the road that would lead the group towards this region’s largest settlement Agdrimus (approximately 6 days’ travel away), Ceiba spots an unusual mound of dirt just off the road and brings it to the party’s attention. Aneirin seems wholly disinterested and continues drinking from his spiked water skin, whilst the others stop the wagon and go over to inspect.
The freshly disturbed earth is around 6 feet long and 3-4 feet wide, and notably an ornate shortsword with serpentine motif appears to have been inserted into the mound. Shael surmises that this is some sort of grave, then pulls out the shortsword to admire the detailed pommel depicting a snake’s head before strapping it to his belt. After some further investigation, the others return to the wagon and continue on.
By late afternoon the group reaches a familiar traveler’s shrine of Pelor, though it is immediately apparent that the shrine has been destroyed or disrupted as its cairn has been upended and stones are scattered across the clearing. The well appears to be intact, and the party are able to find a small statue which had been the center of the shrine. There are multiple sets of boot prints and footprints that appear humanoid, no further detail can be discerned although the destruction seemed to be deliberate. The group are unable to see any sign of people around or who the culprits were.
In the last remaining hours of daylight, the group works to reconstruct the cairn and attempt to restore the shrine to the best of their abilities. Aneirin suggests that the group camp at a more secluded part of the clearing where the group may be less likely to be seen. Setting up near the shrine’s water supply, the group prepares to rest. Mal speaks with the group to request absolute secrecy of his changeling abilities on their return to Keskala for the safety of him and his family, and the group acquiesces with Aneirin sharing a secret of equal worth: several nights prior while on watch, he had snuck away from the sleeping group in order to help a bird bathe. Surprisingly, this seemed to anger the group so Aneirin reluctantly agreed to let somebody else know if the urge to wonder and help any critters overtook him during his watch.
During Mal’s watch, he and Rashara can hear some noises in the distance that sound like large cats, which he shares with Shael. During Shael’s watch, he hears some distant shuffling noises that seem to be gradually getting louder. Shael discloses his findings to Aneirin before turning in for the night, and he keeps a watchful eye on the shrine whilst fighting against his instincts to go for a walk.
Aneirin begins to hear a slow shuffling noise approaching the group, and shakes Ceiba awake before moving ahead along the treeline to try and determine its source. Ceiba wakes the others, and eventually they are able to see a slowly moving shambling mound of plant life dragging itself in the group’s direction, though it does not seem to be after them purposefully. After a brief standoff with Shael and Ceiba crouching behind the cairn to avoid detection and Mal attempting to dissuade the creature with illusions, Aneirin seems keen to remove the threat and Shael sneaks up, trying to drag Aneirin away from the creature and covering his mouth.
Sharing a look with Mal, Aneirin releases nature’s wrath on the creature, wrapping it in some of its own vines which glow with an undulating iridescence. Shael blasts the creature with radiant energy and slashes with his new shortsword, whilst Ceiba brings fire and stone hurling into the creature. Aneirin carves chunks out of the creature’s writhing form, and as it is wounded it excretes a foul-smelling ichor. A barrage of arrows from Mal bring the creature to its end and it dissolves into a pile of disgusting goop.
Whilst kicking dirt over the remains of the shambling mound, the group concluded that this particular creature was not entirely healthy, and that whatever had afflicted was the likely cause of its randic scent.
Ceiba stays up for her watch with Aneirin, and gets a weird vibe within the wilds. During this time, Aneirin wanders into the treeline to try and find a large bird of prey to converse with, but has no luck and becomes aware that he hasn’t seen or heard signs of very much large wildlife at all over the past couple of days. The material realm is still a pretty weird place, after all.
Completing their long rest, the group wakes and leaves their offerings to the shrine (mostly coins, and some offerings of the drug tree’s bark for other travelers who may need it). Back on the wagon, following another half day’s travel the party spots a group of around eight people sat just off the eastern road that appear to be in dark blue leather armor with lighter cloaks protecting them. One individual appears to be a goliath, the group otherwise largely consisted of Fereni and Temeri humans, and a couple of timber elves.
One of the feminine-presenting timber elves bearing a sigil depicting a set of golden wings on the breast of her armor introduces herself as Captain Othelen Mocadic of the Varingean Guard, a mercenary group based in Rothshield and invites the group to share lunch together.
Mal introduces himself and mentions the group’s return to Keskala, to which the captain’s reply is a simple “Oh.”
Othelen mentions an attack on the nearby settlement of Lote around two weeks ago which the party had been aware of, and states that her company had been part of the recovery effort there. She tells the group that Keskala has also been devastated by an attack just a couple of days ago, with several citizens still unaccounted for and some confirmed fatalities. Her cadre of the Guard had been travelling back to Rothshield when they learned of Keskala’s fate whilst travelling through the town.
The goliath woman, Gujoro, speaks up at this and speculates that this destruction was likely the work of a Pooka, an incredibly dangerous and gargantuan-sized chicken-like creature native to the wilds of this region. After further discussions, Othelen agreed to request aid on her return to Rothshield on behalf of Keskala and Mal is able to confirm that at least one of his relatives survived the town’s attack.
Shael inspects the Varingean Guard’s armor and arms closely, but is unable to find any specific resemblance to the ornate shortsword he had taken from a roadside grave the previous day. Aneirin steers the conversation towards the destruction of Pelor’s wayshrine that they had uncovered and repaired, and Othelen confirms that several other wayshrines dedicated to various gods in the region have been marred in a similar manner, suggesting some kind of iconoclasm at play targeting the shrines indiscriminately. Ceiba tries to sell some of her fantasy weed, but the Varingean Guard decline as they are on duty — but might be more interested if they were off-duty in Rothshield so there’s that.
After sharing lunch, the Varingean Guard depart and begin to make their way back along the route that the party had been travelling as the group processes what they’ve just been told.
