S45: Gnoll News is Bad News

Ton cowers in a heap drooling and muttering. Mia is wide-eyed and clearly in shock. Solasia, one of the elder druids of the grove, rests on the ground still exhausted from the grove. The two goblins, Vrat and Krill, excitedly praise the group for their freedom before disappearing into the woods shouting, “We’ll let the others know what you did for us.”

There is no time to waste. Ton’s final transformation into this foul creature could be at any moment. Or is it already too late? Dorus does his best to get through to Ton, but he remains uninterested continuing to clamor that he was too weak and Eldath abandoned them all. Dorus tries to lift Ton to his feet but he flails as a clawed hand leaves streaks of blood across Dorus' trunk. Then, as if he was a wild beast, lunges at Mia and begins to rip and tear at her body. Blood spurts from open wounds. Dorus tries to pull Ton from Mia but is unable to match his beastly strength. Mokon quickly sends Ton into a slumber as Alora magically heals Mia then creates shackles to bind Ton before he wakes. Nom is already gone, running toward town to get help from Luscious. Fey watches in disbelief. 

Solasia speaks up telling the group the only person that can help them is Malaak. And although she didn’t know where Malaak currently could be found, the druid do have their ways. She begins to make gestures and finger drawing on her palm until a pulsing golden firefly takes notice landing delicately on her hand. She pets the small insect and traces faint lines across its body before releasing it into the air. 

“She will help you find your way,” Solastia whispers.

Dorus is the first to speak up, asking the small winged orb of light to take them to Ton. The firefly instantly speeds ahead ten to fifteen feet to the northwest then begins to gently sway in the air as if waiting to lead the way. Mokon, the only one of the group who has a mount, magically calls for Thumper asking him to retrieve Nom.

Ton jumps away and begins to howl… the calls of hyenas can be heard in the far distance. The group quickly gags Ton… just in case.

The group has only one horse and potentially limited time before Ton’s transformation is complete. The group bids farewell to Mia and Solasia as the two slowly make their way toward Therack. Then, all but Mokon, not so eagerly enter Alora’s hole once more. Mokon and Thumper refold the paper hole and follow their firefly beacon into the dark woods. 

Mokon and Thumper are far faster than a firefly and often need to slow down to allow her to lead. Although they are making good time, they could be going faster. After hours of forward momentum, Mokon happens across a small clearing that has him take pause. Laying on her side a light gray mare rests breathing deeply with blood trickling from her forehead. Mokon dismounts to get a closer look. The mare barely has the energy to lift her head to look at Mokon before letting it drop to the ground once more. Mokon opens Alora’s hole to inform the group of his find. A faint magical energy can be felt by all -- a unicorn whose horn has been removed. Its once pristine all-white body is now a fading gray. Alora, Nom, and Fay instantly try to help, but no matter what they do, the mare does not improve. Mokon quickly looks around, finding distinct footprints of a single person heading northward. Dorus and Mokon know they have limited time for Ton and say they are leaving for Malaak. Fay, crouching close to the mare is not responding, and shows no interest in going so Mokon mounts Thumper, Dorus once again in the hole with Ton, and they leave. Nom, Fay, and Alora stay with the mare -- they are angry, out for justice, and hopefully can save the unicorn in the process. 

Watching the mare’s breath becoming more shallow and her body slowly turning a darker shade of gray, Nom connects with her mind where she senses a calm and acceptance, not pain or fear. She has clearly found peace. The trio, not willing to accept death, follow the path in a sort of stealthy rage hoping to find the person who did this, retrieve the horn, and save the unicorn. (Even though none of them know if this course of action will actually help.) It doesn’t take long before the group finds the culprit. A thin, frail man with filthy clothes and dirty skin stands in a small outcropping of trees. “Who’s there, there are a lot of us… like 5 or 7.” Nom clearly sees he is alone and breaks cover. “I give up. I don’t have anything. I give up.” Fay and Alora exit their tree cover. The hunter runs, but a sharp pain in his leg stops him in his tracks. Nom smiles. He continues, “I didn’t know what it was at first. It was a lucky shot. I’m not even a good hunter. I have children to feed. Unicorn horns could feed us for years.” Fay, Nom, and Alora are not impressed or empathetic. Nom relieves him of a small satchel on his waste along with an ivory twisted horn tucked into his belt. With a *thwat* of her sword’s pommel, the hunter sleeps. 

With no time to waste the group rushes back to the mare. As they break into the clearing they see the mare is now a dark shade of gray, she no longer breathes, and her eyes show no signs of life. Alora grabs the horn from Nom, pushing it against the mare’s bloodstained head again and again. Nothing happens. She casts another healing spell. Still nothing. The once magnificent unicorn is gone. Nom relays the feeling of peace she had received from the mare before she passed to set Alora’s mind at ease. Alora begins to cry. She needs to be alone. Alone with her thoughts. She exits the clearing. Fay goes quiet. She feels dull. She feels as though the good in this world is losing to evil. Nom, reviews their current situation. Sure a dead unicorn is bad. I mean any dead thing is bad. But what would be REALLY bad is if the chance for financial gain also died with this unicorn. Nom looks at the dead mare, rolls up her sleeves, pulls two razor-sharp blades from their sheaths, and begins to work. 

Mokon and Dorus continue their journey, finding themselves deeper and deeper into a swamp of thick vegetation and muck. Their speed has been halved. While Dorus and the others in his group had a chance to rest while in Alora’s hole, he did not. Mokon is extremely tired. He finds a small spot of semi-dry land to open the hole to inform Dorus it’s time to swap roles. As he rests the magical paper on the ground he notices it begins to soak up the moisture and the “drawing” of the hole begins to seep and fade. He quickly picks up the paper, lays down his bedroll and tries again with better results (although he does wonder how many more uses this magical hole will have). Mokon unfolds the hole once more when a flash of teeth and claws explodes from within. Ton had woken and since the three-hour shackles Alora magically created had vanished he now has an opportunity to escape. Both Dorus and Mokon were not expecting the sudden move and both failed in their attempts to grab Ton. But Mokon, who has been getting very familiar with his sleep spell, instinctually sends Ton into a slumber while he is still mid-leap. Ton’s body falls from the air with a light thud in a bed of moss. Dorus and Mokon use non-magical means to bind Ton tightly with a few added large rocks as an added precaution and put Ton back in the magical hole. Dorus and Mokon proceed forward with Dorus in the saddle and Mokon getting some much-needed shut-eye.

Hours later, Nom has completed her very thorough reorganization of the mare, and reverently buried what remains were not currently in her rucksack. Fay has barely moved during this time -- not that she can’t, she just doesn’t. She stares forward almost motionless and without words. Alora makes her way back to the clearing in a much better head space. It is getting late. The three decide to make camp for the night.

Dorus and Mokon have reached their destination. Mokon and Ton exit the hole once more. In front of them, is a large structure -- a hut built from nature itself, with a woven roof. Lights flicker from within through slits in the wooden walls. A large leafless tree grows through the western wall. The whole area smells of healthy earth. They approach the front entrance. Just then, the stale green waters begin to bubble. An enormous bear-like creature covered in moss, fungus, and fauna slowly rises from the murky depths of the stagnant water. “We are looking for Malaak,” Dorus proclaims. It looks directly at Dorus, gives a sniff and a deep huff, and looks away as if in recognition. Dorus, Mokon, and Ton continue into the dwelling. The single room is filled with bottles of colored liquid and bowls of dried ingredients, the large tree that can be seen from outside is part of the wall itself, and a large cauldron rests in the middle of the room with a snakelike protrusion over the top. “Malaak?” There is no answer. After only a few moments they hear the wooden floor creak. Turning, they see a rotund cloaked figure passing through the doorway. A long green nose protrudes from the hood's shadow. “What… can… I… do… for… you… Dorus?” The words move painfully slowly from Malaak’s lips. Disembodied whispers follow every word she speaks. Dorus and Ton both know Malaak, there is something different about her. Dorus proceeds to explain Ton’s transformation to which she seems curious and in turn, says the only way is to kill Ton before the transition is complete or he is lost. “Please… not… inside… outside… is… preferred.” Dorus trusts Malaak completely and without hesitation takes Ton outside. “Just let me go. I’m not worth it. Eldath is a lie. She is dead to me. She left us. She is not worth your time.” Looking directly into Ton’s eyes, Dorus buries the dagger Fay had given him deep into Ton’s heart. The life fades from his eyes as he whispers, “I love you son”. Ton’s body goes limp in Dorus’ arms. Tears begin to trail down Dorus' face as he brings Ton’s lifeless body to Malaak. “Set… him… here…”, she gestures to a wide growth of moss in the back of the room. She wraps Ton’s corpse in the moss, gently rubs the hair from his face, and rests her hand on his chest. Malaak stays there for a bit before standing to talk with Dorus and Mokon once more. Dorus eagerly asks how long this will take and she replies cryptically,” It… will… take… as… much… time… as… needed.” 

Malaak then, without any prompt, begins to explain. There once was a powerful sorceress named Adeline Gummnibbler who saw the world of Toril as broken and its inhabitants misguided. Adeline attempted to elevate herself into a god - to force the world into her vision. Unable to create this miracle on her own, Adele found a font of relentless energy deep within Vedra’l. Fusing herself with the power of planes her strength grew. She could see multiple futures and could see a version of herself bending time and space to her will. Unfortunately, her human body could not contain the immense power she required and her body was torn asunder. Distinct parts. Distinct people. Endless lives. The aspects of Adeline cannot die. The pieces of Adele’s shattered soul connect to the soul of a being within the Grimshackle. If the host dies the aspect finds and connects to another pulling with it a remnant of its last host, and slowly skews their personality. The only way to end Adeline is to combine the key attributes from each. The Sage, The Soul Cage, The Wildheart, The Enigma, The Dreamer, The Darkness.

Malaak continues to explain that she is, in fact, one of the aspects of Adeline -- the sage who can see infinite futures but is uncertain as to which path they currently follow. She continues to explain that each aspect must be brought together in an area of great power (of which there are more than one). The aspect is not necessarily physical as it may be intangible.

Dorus and Mokon go through many levels of confusion all the while they feel as though Alora would be displeased with their line of questioning. Malaak then offers the group a place to stay for the night which they accept.

Fay, Alora, and Nom rest at their camp for the night. Alora fully rested from a four-hour meditation earlier stands watch, but not before setting a few traps around the perimeter of the camp. The night progresses as the cackles of hyenas seem to get closer. Nom and Fay slumber as Alora stays alert. A crack is heard on the edge of the clearing. Alora wakes the other two. Quietly they find hiding places behind different trees. In the campfire’s light, it is difficult to see through the darkness of the forest. Another crack of dried brush, this time the outline of a hulking beast emerges. A beast the group recognizes from the Gnoll encampment. A beast that looks to be part hyena and part dire wolf. Nom once again thinks… Alejandro. The beast begins to inspect the encampment -- sniffing and snorting it makes its way from bedroll to bedroll, first Alora’s, then Fay’s, and finally Nom’s where it stops to investigate with more depth. The group quietly begins to climb the trees they hide behind. Nom’s foot slips, the wolf’s head turns and it begins to approach. Alora quickly throws a branch in the opposite direction. The beast's head and body follow suit but find nothing. It makes its way back to Nom’s bed and sits as if in wait. Nom, sure it is her long-lost friend Alejandro, climbs down and approaches. The best stands, the hair on its back stands straight, and a low guttural growl escapes deep within its throat. The cackles of hyenas surround the encampment, just out of sight. Nom stops. The beast stands and begins to walk toward Nom. Still growling. Still intensely watching. As Nom speaks, “Alejandro” its growl momentarily stops as its head leans to one side. The dire wolf/hyena begins to circle Nom, sniffing curiously. Alora and Fay exit their hiding places. The beast watches closely, never letting itself be flanked. The hyenas in the woods begin to get louder. A sharp bark orders them to be silent -- they comply. The beast seems to recognize Alora and Fay but still seems cautious toward Nom. Then Nom remembers. Alejandro has not seen her since her… “transition” into a new body. Alora reaches out as she speaks. For the first time, Alejandro seems to be at ease as he tilts his head downward for Alora to touch his head. Nom begins to speak to him once more. Alejandro seems to accept her new form sitting in front of Nom for a long missed hug. Alejandro lets out a different type of call as a scratched-up Axel and a small coughing Merrylegs come into the clearing for a reunion. During the late hours of the night, Fay seems to be a little more “herself” if not still a little distant. Nom scratches the thick fur of Alejandro and asks if she can ride him, as he is larger than most horses. He tips his shoulder as she climbs onto his muscular back.

Alora and Merrylegs, Fay and Axel, and Nom and Alejandro follow the trail left by Dorus and Mokon to reach Malaak. The trail is long and difficult through the muck and mud of the swamp, still, the group reaches their destination -- Malaak’s home. Malaak’s swamp bear and Alejandro have a bit of an alpha standoff which Malaak effortlessly diffuses. 

Malaak beckons for the group to follow her inside. “Come… in… come… in…. We… have… a… lot… to… discuss…” Otherworldly whispers reiterate her request.