AAR: [2M] Superstition 2020-11-14 0100 GMT

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predajey
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The Strangeness of Post-Scourge Living

Post by predajey » Sat Nov 14, 2020 5:46 am

An extravagant white leather bound journal contains several chapters detailing Calina Ravanqnerosicor’s journeys. It is written in a rich blue ink and the pages have a gold trim. It is written in Sperethiel.

Chapter 74: The Strangeness of Post-Scourge Living

It was another fortnight of searching for employment after termination from the location in the Grand Bazaar when Amhran approached with an advertisement for a festival in a town called Hope Springs. My priorities have been skewed by House Ravanqnerosicor, as I was incapable of reading the characters used. I accompanied her on the journey, spanning a couple of days, to come to a rather strange town. Garlands adorned the passageways about the village. This was the most memorable of the oddities included in these strange traditions, the likes of which I had not yet observed behind the gates of Throal. We met with Mayor Astrid Enisdottir, who informed us of several missing citizens. Matilda (Amhran was corrected on the pronunciation several hundred times over the course of an hour) went to collect mud, Lazlo was assigned to redirect several black felines away from a heavily traveled crossroads, and Brekka was tasked with collecting a bouquet comprised of flowers called Passion's Kiss. It was requested that we, along with several other Adepts, locate these three young denizens and return them to Hope Springs. Accompanying us was R'edtarian. I do not have a fondness for humans, but it is easy to tolerate this one. Along with R'edtarian was an Elementalist named Barag Yurdum. I can only imagine how many insults he has heard from his last name, the poor, staunch dwarf. Qwillem Turlough was yet another melee combatant.
He favored the weaponsmith's hammer, trading it for an axe when danger arose. We also had another dirty human, an Elementalist named Soar Stillwind. He is yet another human my father would have been proud to wed me off to. Hopefully, he is similar to R'edtarian vice Taras in his demeanor. Taras has left a rather misleading impression of the humans when compared to R'edtarian and Orlam. The distastefulness and desire to rapidly regurgitate the entirety of my stomach's contents could not properly display my disgust toward that human. I should research his history and try to determine what has made him so different from these honorable men. I suppose a better sample of human Adepts should be observed before assuming Taras is the anomaly. R'edtarian and Orlam could be gems amongst a race of horrible namegivers.

We began heading towards the fields where Brekka was destined. We found her rapidly, covered with several puncture marks from insect stingers. Shortly after locating her, a group of large bees approached. They were blood bees, and R'edtarian immediately engaged some of the fatter members of the swarm. At first, they did not seem to seek conflict, but with the first swing of R'edtarian's axe, they all joined the combat. My efforts focused on bolstering armor. Soar and Barag did the same. Amhran, Qwillem, and R'edtarian focused on close quarters combat. We were able to dispatch them without much effort or injury.

Next, we redirected our march towards the crossroads. The felines we were informed of were Troajin. They attacked us from the trees, pouncing on Qwillem. R'edtarian opened our right flank to assist him, and Barag filled the gap. Once more, my focus was on bolstering armor. Amhran, that brave tiny soul, even joined in the close quarters combat. As the momentum shifted in our favor, Soar and I began bolstering the frontliners' damage capacity. Once both Qwillem and R'edtarian's axes were both enflamed, the Troajin began to concede our victory. Further along the pathways, closer to the center of the crossroads, we found Lazlo's body. Amhran obtained an earring from a dismembered ear to return to the village for identification purposes.

We returned with Brekka and news of Lazlo's demise, but Mayor Enisdottir did not seem dismayed by the information. We were allowed to stay in the local inn and departed in the morning to follow Matilda. We found her on the banks of a river, surrounded by several beings composed of mud. They seemed intelligible, but we could not comprehend what they were trying to purvey. They appeared to desire Matilda's protection be solely at their own efforts, although Matilda was anchored in mud and appeared to have been fed it. R'edtarian attempted to communicate that her return to Hope Springs was necessary, but as Soar began performing the requisite motions and channeling for another armor bolstering spell, they displayed hostile intent. I took the first step and slung a Mind Dagger at the nearest one. I despise how I adopted the habit of referring to spell casting as "slinging," but it is more appealing than the simile derived from fishing. The majority of first attacks were directed at me because of this, but again, my days learning the elegant motions of dancing removed most of the bolas (comprised of either stones or skulls) as threats. One of them did tag me, so I lost focus, distracted by the fact that I would have to clean my elven silk garments. I continued slinging Mind Daggers, but R'edtarian, who had taken the attention of nearly all of our opponents, was being covered with mud, almost to the point where I feared he might suffocate. Before I was near enough to scrape the mud off his face, one of our opponents fell, clearing his airways. After Another Mind Dagger, Soar, who adopted a close combat mentally, and Qwillem both were able to finish one opponent each. Supported by such marvelous spells from Barag, who called forth a lightning bolt down on all of our opponents simultaneously, we were able to control the momentum of the battle. During the combat, Amhran made her way to Matilda and had gotten the mud off of her mouth and head. After our Elementalists purified the water to remove the mud, we were able to return her to Hope Springs. I had to request that they do the same for my elven silk clothing. These Elementalists are remarkable laundry replacements.

Upon return, the spell slingers amongst us observed the astral space in the village. It was not quite sentient, but it seemed empathetic to the general attitude of the denizens. I would not say it was observing the town, but it definitely appeared to be aware of, and sympathetic to, the residents. The village was constructed near the Kaer the denizens emerged from, under a tower that belonged to illusionists. Maybe that had an effect on the area, or maybe the Scourge had much further reaching consequences in areas its presence had not been addressed. I may spend some of my free time observing and studying this phenomena.

With the adventure concluded, I returned my focus to seeking employment. Progress is slow. Maybe I should apply my efforts to farming. I am not fond of menial labor, but the farmers outside of Throal seem to be completely incompetent, as Orlam declared multiple times during our pirate adventure. Aside from the lack of injuries and the bountiful payment I received, I find myself thinking that not all humans are as displeasing with increased proximity as the first one I met. He is an anomaly, and I intend to figure out what has twisted his view on the world. Also, Amhran loves funnel cake.
Last edited by predajey on Sun Nov 15, 2020 5:22 am, edited 3 times in total.

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etherial
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Re: LFG: [2M] Superstition 2020-11-14 0100 GMT

Post by etherial » Sat Nov 14, 2020 8:42 am

2 Teayu, 1423 T.H.
Whilst on my morning perambulation about the Grand Bazaar, I encountered a bill of notice that the not too distant town of Hope Springs was to hold their annual Fortune Festival, a suitably good time for a young Noble Dwarf such as myself. I found accompaniment in the form of several other Adepts that my prior companion Barag had recommended, and we resolved to travel together.

12 Teayu
Having reached the town of Hope Springs, we saw many curious preparations for the festival. Garlands of alliums hung in the windows, curtains of black velvet adorned the mirrors, and it soon became clear that these superstitions were not entirely festival-related. We spoke to the village Elder, one Astrid Enisdottir, who explained the town's peculiar relationship with luck. The town was the locus of a series of bizarre incidents of curiously specific misfortune, and apparently they were quite accustomed to sudden deaths and disappearances. Nevertheless, three youths who had disappeared that day were perhaps rescuable by us, and so we set off to find them.

Being early in the afternoon, we first searched the floral fields for one Brekka, a girl who had succumbed to the bites of insects. At first we were concerned about the insects being poisonous, but as we were soon approached by giant versions of the same, we saw firsthand what they were capable of. These two-foot monstrosities came after us, stabbing with their needle-like posteriosi, which, instead of delivering venom, drained the poor victim of their blood. Poor Soar lost quite a lot of blood as one such creature latched onto his leg and inflated like some monstrous reverse waterskin. The way the creature's abdomen unfolded gave me some interesting ideas for building expandable vessels for food transportation and preservation. Amhrán was able to gather samples of their stingers but only my notes survive of the creatures' sacs. While a successful latch proved quite detrimental to our friend Soar, the bees were little match for Forged Steel, and we were able to revive Brekka and send her home.

Spurred on by our success, we hastened to the Crossroads where a spattering of blood did not bode well for the young lad Lazslo who had been sent on an errand of his own. Indeed, the creatures who slew him, feral Troajin who had developed a taste for Namegiver Flesh lusted after ourselves as well and quickly ambushed us. This time, we were able to build a more suitable defensive line and the Spellcasters stood behind R'edtarian and myself, casting spells to armor and enhance us. Soar's luck had turned since earlier and his Flame Weapon spell proved most effective at scaring off the beasts. Still, I wonder who their previous owner was and whether they could be redeemed. We recovered Lazslo's body and kept his jewelry separate so that it could be identified without too many having to view the grisly remains. With dark approaching, many of us Wounded, and all of us spent, we returned to the town to rest, hoping that transit down to the lake with the dawn would prove less unfortunate for the last missing youth.

13 Teayu
Success! The mud at the lake was quite remarkable, though its ambulatory nature perhaps proved a detriment to the suitability of the place as a collection point for future use. Some creatures, who spoke only in rude squelching noises had imprisoned Mathïldê and seemed to be busy building an encompassment of mud about her, perhaps to transmute her into one of their own. Attempts were made between myself and the leader of the muddlemen to discuss the disposition of the lass, but they were quite insistent that she remain, despite her clear and unequivocal desire to be freed and return to her village. They rushed us and, thankfully, R'edtarian met them in the middle, allowing them to surround him in exchange for ensuring the rest of us were unhindered. Much to our disconcertion, however, they were quite happy to surround him as each muddly slap slathered more muck onto him, bogging him down and heaving him Overwhelmed with detriment. Stout he remained, however, as I flanked around them, splitting them into mounds of foul muck while the Spellcasters splashed them with Acid and Ice, tearing them to pieces. Amhrán rushed to the girl, her priority to free her for obvious reasons, but the relative difference in scale between Windling and Ork did not result in success until Soar and Barag cooked and cleansed the mud off of her, respectively.

The youths being entirely located, if not entirely rescued, ended our excursion on a high yet somber note, appropriate to the fatalism of the town we had visited.

My compatriots on this adventure were:
Amhran Fili, a Windling Troubadour and lover of Funnel Cake
Barag Yurdum, a Dwarf Elementalist and fellow Second-Son
Calina Ravanqnerosicor, an Elf Wizard and strong silent type
Red'tarian, a Human Warrior and fellow Axeman
Soar Stillwind, a Human Elementalist and Healer

Dramatis Personae we encountered upon visitation:
Astrid Enisdottir, Elder of Hope Springs
Brekka, Lazslo, and Mathïldê; youths

Rathan01
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Re: AAR: [2M] Superstition 2020-11-14 0100 GMT

Post by Rathan01 » Sat Nov 21, 2020 6:39 pm

A journal entry from Barag Yurdum of House Yurdum,

Checking for jobs, I see boy handing out flyer for Festival. Good Omens Festival in place called Hope Springs is only a couple days travel and I think it would be good to have fun. I travel with others who have same idea: Soar, Qwillem, Calina, Amhran, and R’edtarian.

It takes couple days to get to Hope Springs and we meet Headwoman Astrid Enisdottir. Most who live here are lowland Trolls. There is serious bad luck here and they should definitely move. Festival is to bring good luck but does not sound like is working. Astrid asks us to help find some festival helpers. Brekka picks flowers, Matilda collects clay, and Lazlo scares off black cats.

We go to flowers first. We find Brekka unconscious and covered in bee stings. We are attacked by Blood Bees. The fight is a bit disorganized. We kill the five bees then return Brekka to town. They are happy she is alive. We then head to crossroad to find Lazlo.

At crossroad we find blood then are attacked by Troajins. They are very big black cats. They are wearing collars but seem feral so possibly lost their master. This fight is better. We kill several of the Troajins and the others run off. We find Lazlo’s eaten body in tree. We return Lazlo’s jewelry to town and why seem ... not surprised at his death. Like I say before, a lot of bad luck in this town. We stay in town for night then head to river to find Matilda.

At the river, we find Matilda locked in mud surrounded by Bog Gobs. They seem intent on protecting/keeping Matilda. I think my failed attempt to reattune spell may be cause for start of fight but it was going to happen anyway. Bog Gobs are very sticky. They like to attach themselves to you to smother, it is like having second mother. R’edtarian takes full brunt of attack and gets completely covered. I am able to use new spell, Lightning, to scorch four of them, killing one and freeing R’ed. We finish the rest and free girl from mud. I cast purify water on mud to help clean quicker. This is new use for spell I had not thought of before.

We take girl back to town and they are happy to see she lives, especially after last one. The people here seem to have bad things happen when they wish for good things. This is very strange and we check astral in town. It is almost alive in that it responds, in a way, to strong emotions. Again, I tell them to move town but they are stubborn. I have feeling there will be many more bad things happening here.

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