Evil Lurks
When last we left Taryn, the Shaman of the Wolfkin Clan was injured and taken to the healers after a visit to their village where we found nothing but burned-out buildings and trash.
Last evening she called us all together once again to see if we could find any clues we had missed at the Wolfkin village on our last visit…the news she had about the Shaman was grim and now their Elder, Firehair has gone missing.
Upon our arrival at the Wolfkin Village, we were immediately assaulted by several diseased rodents. We notice several smoldering fires, and the foul smell of sewage permeated the air. The communal well near the entrance to the village, which was the main water source for the Wolfkin, was filled with vile-smelling putrid water, bubbling and gurgling from the ground. Taryn shook her head…*This is not how it was…nothing is how it was…what has happened here?* She gingerly put on a pair of gloves and dipped a decanter into the water to take a sample for later testing, maybe it would shed some light on the evil that had infiltrated this once peaceful place.
Upon further investigation, we discovered what looked to be a holding area behind a barricade, rotting skeletons and bowls of bloody water littered the cell-like structure. Just inside the barricade, we found what looked to be the remains of a crate or box, a dried pool of strangely-colored blood sat in the midst of the rubble, and next to it an Enchanted Cutlass covered in Blood. Bodies of Enchanted Wolfkin lay scattered on the ground. A pile of badly burnt bones next to a bloody ankh in one of the tents raised even more questions as we slowly made our way through the village.
Taryn sighed deeply *I want to check on the Unicorns…I fear something might have happened to them as well.* Muttering an ancient spell, a portal opened and we piled through…only to be stopped by a strange-looking rock slide blocking the entrance to the Unicorn’s home. *Well* Said Taryn *This doesn’t bode well…does anyone have any explosives?* She half-jokingly asked. *Use some blackrock* came a voice within the crowd. *Oh? Does that explode?* Asked Taryn, raising a brow. *If you cast the Armageddon spell on it…yes* Maharia shuddered…she still heard voices in her head from doing just that and shook her head muttering *bad…very bad things…*
Taryn placed a small piece of the rock near the entrance, telling everyone to stand back…and spoke the words to the dangerous spell. An explosion rocked the cavern, shuddering the ground and causing a plume of smoke to envelope the group. As the smoke cleared, the entrance to the cave was open. Coughing and wiping our eyes, we slowly entered the Unicorns lair.
A few feet into the cave, we were met by dark, twisted-looking equine creatures. Quickly dispatching these, we looked around. *No..no this isn’t right!* cried Taryn *This isn’t how it was…it was beautiful…full of flowers and life…but now…* Her voice trailed off as we slowly looked around at the desolation. Once again the smell of fire and smoke permeated the air, what was once living was now dead and burnt. A fountain, obviously the Unicorns drinking water, was filled with a dark-grey liquid, not as foul-smelling as the sewage in the Wolfkin Village, but obviously not something any living person would care to drink. Once again Taryn gingerly took a small sample. *Look around….something horrible happened here as well*.
Near the entrance, we noticed a small burnt-out area with strange blood, the corpses of wolves littering the outer edges. A bloody Mystical Blade lay on the ground beside it. Taryn carefully picked it up and placed it in her satchel along with the Enchanted Cutlass. *Notice the fresh pile of dirt in the middle of that?* Someone said *Maybe take a sample of that too, it might hold some clues* Taryn nodded *Good thinking, anything we can think of to sample to find out what has happened here* She leaned down and carefully scooped up a small sample, and as she touched the dirt, a foul creature, The Puppet, appeared, oozing acidic slime from it’s pores.
Once the evil creature was dead, and finding no more clues as to what happened, we quickly headed back to the safety of Britain to discuss our next move.
*I will ask Donal if he can test these samples and weapons..maybe he can find out something. I also have to send word to Ziggy…I left him with the Leprechauns and I fear that some unknown evil is lurking, he can keep an eye out and let me know if anything is amiss.* Taryn sighed deeply, shaking her head *Thank you all, again, for your help. As soon as I hear anything, I will call upon you again, please keep your eyes open and be careful.*