Grozzuk stands slowly, letting out a breath as he had finally calmed down. "So we all shared this dream? Is it because of magic? Who was that Demon man I seemed to know?" Grozzuk said, seeming to recall less of Damocles than the others.
Lorion shrugs at the dragonborn's question, unsure of the answer himself. "It definitely wasn't some kind of trick or illusion, I can tell you that. And the only magic I can feel is just from Cinder's own abilities," the high elf replies, shaking his head in confusion. Surely there's no way magic isn't at play here. It just has to be.
"I... don't know," Cinder says, feeling a bit confused and distressed that she cannot place the man in her mind. "But we knew him, we must have. In the dream he was our friend, right? We can't have all dreamed up a figment of our collective imagination..." could we?
The woman rubs her forehead, wiping some of the sweat off. Afterwards she moves a hand to one of her horns, hoping for a brief moment that those were merely a dream too, but the hope is short-lived as the familiar feeling of the protrusions take their usual place upon her forhead. She frowns and sighs, looking around to the others.
"Well, now that we are up I suppose we should get ready to begin our investigation," she says. Not waiting for the others to concur, she moves out of her bed and begins searching through her things for her usual robes, donning them groggily while her mind races with thoughts of Damocles, the dream, her own corruption, and all sorts of other worries that plague the woman's mind on a daily basis.
Grozzuk had turned and nodded at Cinder, "There is definitely something going on here that doesn't seem right." He turned away again, trying to organize his thoughts, collecting and beginning the process of donning his armor. But just who was that man in the dream? I feel like I should know the face of a man ready to kill me... What was the name I had said?... Daymen? Dymocon? Darein? ... Hm. I cannot recall. He finished donning his armor considering his options. "I might go see an old friend. He might know the answer to this." Grozzuk said softly as if just to voice his thoughts. He pulled out a small jade-encrusted dagger and sat on his bed, shifting it in the palm of his hand. As he looked at it, a sense of warmth came to his heart and he shed a small tear, being reminded of his chosen father, almost all his worries and fears from the night before seemed to vanish, and he felt whole again.
"Could be we stumbled across one case of the rumors going around Rhapsody," Gamil says, his breathing still elevated. "Don't count this as a coincidence, either."
He begins packing up his things, rinsing some water on his face to wake him further. "C'mon. We'll eat rations on the road. Don't want to stay for a meal."
"Ah, yes that could be," Cinder replies to her diminutive friend. If that is what the whole town is experiencing on a regular basis, it is no wonder they're alarmed. Turning to Grozzuk, she asks, "is your friend in Rhapsody? We could come with you." After a short pause, she adds, "if that is alright with you, that is."
"It needs to be," Gamil says, decisively. "We're not going to split up."
"I wonder if these kinds of dreams are a regular occurrence here then," Lorion remarks after his goblin companion. "But I have no doubt that some kind of powerful magic is at work here. There's no other explanation." Though he didn't expressly feel any magical presence, he finds it hard to believe that it would have no role.
The elf finally rises, donning his usual tunic and gathering his things to get going. Replying to the dragonborn, he says, "If it doesn't take too long, fine. But I'd like to get a move on too. We've got work to do, it seems."
Grozzuk shook his head. "Nay, it would be too far out of the way. I'll seek him out later." He put the dagger back in its sheath. "It's time to get a move on then, yes?" He spoke, adjusting his armor on himself. He considered their current predicament. I have to wonder where the best place to start would be.
Gamil stares back, already halfway out the door. "First place to check is always the pub," the goblin says. "Let's move."
The party asks around the closest thing to a pub: the common room of the inn. It's still early in the morning, and so this turns out to a decent hub of local color. Gamil manages to pick a likely person and ask about the strange happenings, but soon you have three and four people chiming in at once.
"There's a place in the woods near here that doesn't look right. No one knows when it started but that it must have been a few days ago now."
"-It's all wrong, like a painting come to life or somethin'!"
"I'm tellin' ya, it's the damned faeries, they're taking our woods!"
"There's a ruined castle and everythin'"
"We've kept anyone from going in, but what if something comes out?"
"Look, there's one now, probly come to run us off!"
"Oh, she is not, Tilmin, just hush."
"We were hoping the Academy would send someone, but you're the first ones to come."
A ruined castle? Faeries? Gamil holds up a hand to shush the overlapping ramblings.
"One at a time, please. Too early for all this shouting," the goblin requests. He nods toward the innkeep. "Ma'am, when'd you first find this 'place'? And describe it the best you can. It don't look right how?"
Cinder motions to herself when mentioned by the old farmer, looking a bit nervous once singled out. Do they really thing I am here to steal their land? she thinks, not relishing the thought of heaving to experience persecution like she had back home from the locals.
"That doesn't sound like something any fairy would do," Cinder says aloud, more to herself then to the villagers. Turning to the brunette woman, she asks, "were there any large, thorny vines near the castle? Or other odd vegetation you'd never seen before?"
Marian opens her mouth and closes it, furrowing her brow for a moment. "Well, I don't know how you'd describe it, really. Ceri's bit about the painting isn't quite right, but I don't know. It's wavery, and the colors are different." (It seems unlikely that you'll get anything more specific from her.)
Tilmin keeps muttering about faeries, but his wife seems to have him under control.
The maid looks a little more sheepish when asked directly by Cinder, but she answers, "Well, there vines and such on it, but just normal-size, I think.
Lorion listens with piqued interest as the inn's denizens discuss the strange castle and other odd happenings surrounding it. As the innkeeper attempts to describe the colors of the area, the elf wracks his brain, trying to recall any magical effects that seem similar. Could it be an illusion or did the landscape actually change colors?
Curious if other townspeople have had a similar experience and he and his companions, the elf asks, "Have any of you been having strange dreams since the tower showed up?"
Gamil frowns, unsure what to make of the weak explanation. This sort of thing ain't my strong suit. Might be best to just... walk into it.
The goblin brushes his hand against the stubble on his jaw. "Anybody go out there? Your folk?"
Tilmin's wife answers Lorion as the others are talking. "None to speak of really. Some of us have woken up in a fright, but of course, no one remembers what they were dreaming of."
Marian holds herself a bit proudly. "We've managed to keep everyone away so far. Everyone wants a look, so of course we looked, but we've kept everyone from touching anything."
Must not be the Stranger, then, Cinder thinks, upon hearing that the mysterious forest castle bears no surrounding vines of the sort she found in the Brambles. She listens as the other interrogate the people in the inn, watching each one for signs of deceit or otherwise ulterior motive.
Grozzuk stepped forward and spoke up. "So where did you say these occurrences were happening again?" He asked, so they would know where to look. As he asked this he took a slow glance around the room, looking for anyone acting suspiciously.
"It's past the treeline to the north of town. Follow the river up and you should see it within about two hours' walk."
"Thank you." He nodded and hoped Lorion would remember that. He seemed pleased that he didn't see anyone skulking around, and let out a breath.
Gamil nods to the innkeep, satisfied at the tip. "We'll check it out," he promises.
Turning back to the others, he beckons them toward the door once more. "C'mon. We'll eat on the road."
Cinder nods and follows after Gamil, confident that the townfolk are harmless, and likely not involved in whatever strangeness is happening in the woods. I hope no fey are behind this, she thinks, as the group begins down the road. I couldn't bear the shame of encountering them.
Lorion is unsatisfied as he's unable to pinpoint what the magical effect may be, though grows eager to investigate himself. I guess we'll just have to see what she means in person then. As Gamil beckons the party toward the door, the elf replies, "Yes, let's. I'd like to get to the bottom of these oddities."
With a spring in their step, the party heads out of Rhapsody and makes their way north, keeping the small river close to their left as a guide. It's a overcast, even gloomy morning, but Marian sent you with some fresh rolls and spicy cheese as a thank you for looking into the situation. The scattering of trees here isn't close to what Cinder would consider a forest, but it seems woodsy enough for the city dwellers.
Ahead, you can see a slight shimmering, which draws nearer as you get closer. About fifty feet from it, you stop to get a good look. The anomaly is at least fifty feet wide, and perhaps thirty feet tall. The edges are abrupt, irregular, and appear to waver like a heat shimmer. Beyond it is what appears to be a sunny grassland, with patches of red and violet clustering around a large structure in the distance. But the colors all seem to bright and vivid to be real, and between the shimmer effect and the distance, you can't make out any details. Even this far away, something about the anomaly seems to give you a sense of fear in the pit of your stomachs.
Lorion looks with curiosity and fear as the group approaches the strange anomaly, finally understanding what the townspeople were trying to describe. This shimmering... It almost looks like a mirage. But there's no way that's all this is. He steps forward from the group slightly, trying to discern what kinds of magic are involved in the anomaly's existence.
What in Rog's... What the fuck is this? Gamil stares at the gaping facade before him. "See anything like this before?" he asks those around him, at a loss. And here, I thought those commonfolk were too into their story.
The goblin peers into the strange portal, looking for any signs of movement that isn't the shimmering veil itself twisting and writhing.
Following somewhat aimlessly after Lorion, Cinder also approaches closer to the strange... thing before them, curious what it could be and where it came from. Could fey magic truly be at work like they claim? the dryad thinks, trying to recall if she had heard of any spells or rituals that could cause such an effect.
"Three contacts," Gamil sights, pointing forward. "On the move toward this... barrier." Under his cloak, he draws his blades quietly, ready for whatever might happen. "Play it calm, but be wary."
Cinder frowns at Gamil's mention of approaching figures. Hopefully friendly, she thinks, turning back to the others after completing her examination of the thing before them. "Whatever this is, it doesn't seem fey in origin as the man in the village thought," she says, quite certain in her determination.
"Whatever it is, be ready," Lorion utters quickly, glaring at the approaching figures. "This thing is emanating an immense amount of raw mana, so these creatures may be powerful." The elf focuses his eyes on the creatures, hoping to make out more details despite the lack of clarity.
With Gamil and Lorion watching the shapes you have just enough time to steel yourself for their arrival. Out of the shifting curtain of mana step three figures. The shadows cling to them, and two of them stumble as their feet hit the ground. The two who stumbled appear as vaguely human shapes carved from pure shadow. The third is a gaunt figure in a tattered cloak. it has no legs, but hovers at normal height, apparently not needing any. The cloaked figure lets out a low wail and points at you. As it does, the other two prepare to charge.
Roll initiative!
Cinder frowns at the mention of them being powerful, immediately before the figures come more into view. At the sight of the strange beasts she grips her branch more tightly, as she always does when nervous. Where could these things be coming from... and what are they?
Lorion's eyes widen slightly as he recognizes the shadows around the figures. He feels a mixture of fear and confusion as he notices the undead spirits are solid compared to their usual ethereal nature. How in the world did they get this way? And what power is behind this portal?
Watching as the figures make their way through the veil, the elf takes a defensive stance, preparing himself for a fight if needed. Alerting the others to their nature, he says, "Ready yourselves. They're some kind of undead spirits, and they're definitely not supposed to be solid like that."
Gamil's eyes widen. "This is a new development," he manages, hands clasped tightly on his daggers. Hope they go down the same as a man.
Grozzuk stared in shock as he watched the beings approach. His thoughts drifted slightly before he gulped, slammed a fist against his chest a few times and let out a loud roar as he drew his greatsword. "Stand behind me, friends! I won't let them get to you without a fight! He lunged forward to take the point, raising his weapon in preparation to strike.
Not wanting to waste a moment while these hostile spirits approach, Lorion strides forward. These spirits need to be put down before they can cause any damage. The elf summons an illusory horde of sprites to infiltrate the weak minds of his undead foes, grinning as the two bipedal spirits succumb to his simple trick.
Battle 1
The shadowy figures slap at their arms, trying to ward off illusory sprites. Gathering their pain and rage, they rush at Lorion and attempt to rake him with their claws, but the mage is able to create a brief force field in the nick of time.
Go: Gamil
Gamil makes a dash through the underbrush. Damn. Out of position, he thinks as he slides behind one of the strange combatants. He swipes at it with both blades, and one finds purchase in the enemy's leg. The goblin tears his blade free, maiming it before backing off defensively.
Battle 1
Gamil's dagger digs into the shadow, leaving a gash in its leg that drips an inky, black substance. Meanwhile, the figure in the back hurls a bolt of sickly, black energy at Lorion. Luckily, the shot goes wide, and buries itself in the trunk of a nearby tree.
Go: Cinder, Grozzuk, Lorion
Seeing the creatures rush her allies, Cinder steps forward and touches her branch to the ground, drawing a fey spirit to her aid. As she does so, the bush near the others seems to come to life, infused with the power of the spirit. The bush creature of leaves and sticks seems to entwine itself around the legs of the nearby undead creatures, hindering their movement and leaving them open to attacks from the others.
The woman winces as she sees the black substance being launched at Lorion, and tries to watch in the direction of its source, hoping to not become a target herself. Whatever that is, I do not want that on me.
Lorion breathes a sigh of relief as the spirits fail to land their blows on him, but knows his luck may not last while surrounded. Hoping to distract his foes so he can make a retreat, Lorion produces a bright blast of dazzling color from his fingers. Using the distraction to his advantage, the elf etherealizes from where he stands, reappearing further away a moment later. Just try to hit me from back here, you dumb creatures.
Grozzuk lets out another roar, charging forward to take the fight to them. He moves behind the ghostly figure and raises his sword high, bringing it down on it's form.
