Sacred Light

[Enigmatic Cat]

"You we're re-lighting the lanterns?" He asked the ork, He hoped the man that usually runs the route between Aberdeen and Darkwell was doing alright. He didn't know him personally, but he had watched over him from time to time over the years when he came into the forest to light the lamps... their light gave what was left of the animals of the forest a safe haven in the creeping darkness, Though he had noticed a few of the lanterns on the way here had already dimmed...


The ork introduced herself as Adina, and the elf as Rosemary, whom offered her hand as greeting. Aegor not wanting to be rude accepted and shook the woman's hand, his grip was firm but gentle, and also bowed his head (which was how the Shaal Alari clans usually greeted/acknowledged others).


"It is a pleasure to meet both of you, My name is Aegor Yelmoi-" The elf's name was interrupted by a scream that seemed to cut through the noise from the darkness around them, bright lights flashed from the road and then and eerie silence fell over the place. Aegor reached down and picked up his spear,


"Were you two alone?"

 

[zanarkand]

Adina looked in the direction of the road, her heart raced when the screaming stopped, "No, we were hired to escort a lamplighter to Darkwell."


She walked toward the crumbling doorway to leave, "Come on. We have to see what that screaming was."

 

[solvernia]

Rosemary gripped her broomstick and looked in the direction of the scream. Her heart leapt and she started in the direction that they left Otis only to stop and look back to Aegor and Adina. She had the light after all but flying would be too fast for the two to keep up with her though she vaguely wondered if she could fly with three people.


"Gotta hustle." She said, floating above to light the way with the lantern still dangling from the notch in her stick.

 

[zanarkand]

GM

As the group made their way back to the road a groaning could be heard. It was pained and low. The cart of magistone was abandoned and its horses lay dead and withered as if drained of all essence. Magistone on the ground glowed gently, illuminating a pool of black liquid surrounding the body of Otis. His corpse was as withered and mummy-like, his eyes were black and gnarled gashes oozed dark blood.


A creature lurked on the edge of the forest, watching and waiting. It was once a wolf but the darkness had now corrupted it, turning it into Soul Eaten and twisting it into a new grotesque form. Its silvery fur almost glowed in the moonlight, accentuating its thin and boney body. Rows of gnarled teeth could barely be contained by its elongated crocodile-like snout.


When the group came into view it let out a shrill human-like roar that no living wolf would be able to produce. Then it lunged into the light.

 

[zanarkand]

Was this the screaming that they heard? It must have been, considering the carnage before them. Adina drew her sword and readied herself for a fight.

 

[solvernia]

Rosemary floated out of reach above the scene on her broomstick, the lantern hanging on the notch in her broom now acting as a sort of spotlight. She eyed Otis's corpse, his features now grotesque and unrecognizable - twisted and drained of life. She shouldn't have left him alone... But the Soul Eaten wolf commanded her attention. She raised her hand to cast a Flaming Chain spell to hold it to the ground.


"Watch out, guys!" she said, as she casted her spell.


[dice]24342[/dice]


((change the forceful tag to debilitating)

 

[zanarkand]

GM

Fiery chains whip wildly out of the ground below the wolf. The creature hisses and snarls as it moves away from the spell and coughs violently before spraying a thick tar-like substance at the group.

Spoiler

everyone roll Defy Danger!

 

[Enigmatic Cat]

Aegor ran with the Adina and Rosemary back to the road, he lit the magistone hanging from his antlers as he ran so they wouldn't need to rely on the lamp that was dangling from the elf's broomstick. Upon reaching the road the trio caught sight of the magistone cart and its owner who was now a dead husk laying in a pool of his own blackened blood.


There was a familiar shape along the forest's edge... Aegor turned to look at it and saw what used to be a wolf that had been twisted by the Night Walkers. The wolves usually kept to themselves outside of hunts, but they were always talkative... This one, however, the elf could no longer understand. Rosemary was the first to take action against the Soul Eaten. She raised her hand, magic emanating from it as she cast a spell of fiery chains in an attempt to bind the creature.


Aegor took a step back while everything was going on and dropped his spear onto the ground.


The elf inhaled a few deep breaths and then dropped down on all fours as his form started to change. It continued to contort and grow, as his belongings merged with thick fur that arose up from his skin, paws replaced hands and feet complete with sharp claws and jagged teeth replaced duller ones in a now elongated snout. The elf had shifted into a large grizzly bear complete with his stag horns, the magistone and other trinkets continued to hang from them.


The creature ahead of them dodged the witch's attack, throwing out an attack of its own at the three adventurers. Aegor did his best to maneuver away from the tar-like substance moving towards them, but he could feel his movements were still sluggish from his previous run in with the Darkness.

Spoiler

[dice]24441[/dice]


[dice]24442[/dice]


I never seem to get lucky on here with the rolls lol...


... at least the shapeshifting roll didn't backfire... you might have turned me into a bunny or something equally as useless in this situation. (>u>)