7th January 2024

Lanternlight shines in the faces of the leaders, blinding them. A humanoid voice emerges from the darkness where it stands atop the bridge, "Who are you, and what business have you? By the Order of the Gauntlet, I beg you stop."
Lanister: We are a party tasked by the Grand Mage to find the end of the Death Curse, and we are making our way through the jungle to try and find the cause.
Mush: I knew you were doing that, but I thought we were going elsewhere first.
L: I'm trying to hide the fact that we have no papers.
Mush: They're not the Flaming Fist.
Lani informs them of our true location. They agree not to impede our progress as they appreciate someone dealing with the fire newt problem for them. We decide to stop by the Gauntlet's camp for a moment. We move to the shore to start docking.
Guard: And how may I identify your group?
Lani: The Vanquishers and them.
Guard: I heard word that my BIL lost quite a lot of money betting against you.
Tama: It doesn't pay to bet against me.
Guard: I can see that. You may enter, though if you seek anything beyond conversation, we don't have much to offer.
Lani points out the creature he's created to prove his own craftsmanship in a bid to get his business for their swords.
Guard: I would ask that that stays in the boat.
Lani commands Skytherik to stay. There is nothing in the camp but a despondent group and are on their last legs. A lot of them have dirt all over them from having built a barrier with trenches and spikes. There are shrines to various gods scattered around. There could be anywhere from 30-80 people here.
Lani: Do you know anything about the fire newts or their location?
Guard: Two of our recruits who wandered off attempting to scout ahead and identify ruins we may conquer were burned alive. Only one was able to bring back one of their hands. That's how we know what happened.
Tama: What direction?
Guard: About another seven days' journey down the river.
Lani and Mush have an aside about the location of the newts. Malith explores the camp, attempting to eavesdrop. She is wearing a royal purple garb with leather armor. She finds a group of younger recruits who seem to be slightly inebriated talking with some soldiers.
Overheard: Sister Sayas has a nice rack on her.
You betcha, man. What I wouldn't give to have some of her healing.
I'd have to go in the sick bay, fake an injury. Tell her I've got crotch rot or something, but she is a notable healer.
Malith makes her way to the sick bay. She notices that despite the markings of the OotG on the sick bay, there's markings for several of the gods, the biggest being Helm. Those tending to the wounded are healers, not soldiers. There are two men, four women, all tending to injured soldiers, some of whom have necrosis, others who have the Death Curse, others with injuries from animals, etc. There are about twenty-four sick and wounded. 10 visibly suffer from the DC. Malith tries to make conversation with a blonde nurse sitting in an elevated chair at the back of the room.
M: Hello.
Nurse: What do you need?
M: I was wondering if you had any new findings about the DC.
Nurse: And who are you?
M: I am a special mercenary hired by the Gauntlet to assist with the DC.
Nurse: Contractors, eh? You type are usually unreliable, disappear with the money and run, but occasionally have extraordinary results. I don't know which type you are, but you seem offputting. That being said, I can tell you I haven't learned much. Watching them wither and die before me is taking everything out of me.
M: What are you doing for them in the meantime?
Nurse: Making sure they're comfortable. That's all we can do.
M: Where were these men previously?
Nurse: They had gone into the jungle exploring. They all came back saying they wandered into some ruins and felt scared. They flew in fear. A 10-day later, they were like this.
M: Interesting.
These men are all unconscious but seemingly without injury. Malith goes to talk to the men.
Soldier A: I heard you talking. Are you an inquisitor?
M: Yes. I'm interested in these ruins you stumbled upon.
A: Stumbled upon is right. We were scouting back to Camp Righteousness to gather some of the axebeaks, and I guess we got lost. We never did find our scout again. We walked for days, and it was a sight for sore eyes when we thought we saw light in the ruins. As we entered, it went out, leaving us in darkness, fear, terror. We banded together and kept marching on. Sometimes we thought we lost each other, but we could feel each other. We just kept moving. I don't even remember leaving the ruins, but eventually we ended up here.
M: Could you point us to where these ruins were?
A: I'd be leading you blind. I can't recollect.
M: Interesting. This was on the way to CR?
A: Yep.
M: I may investigate this, thank you.
Malith goes over to the anxious redheaded nurse.
M: What are you doing?
RN: I'm doing things in a particular order, which doesn't include explaining that order.
M: I need to know your order.
RN: And who are you to know that?
M: I'm an inquisitor.
RN: Well, here. *She rambles a series of steps quickly.*
M: I'll remember you. Carry on.
Tama finds a downtrodden group of soldiers.
T: Why so sad?
Soldier: We lost a lot of friends and family. Commander Breakbone is doing his best, but it's just hard.
T: Keep your spirits up!
She's invited to drink with them, and she does. The drink reminds her of the wine from her old tribe, so she overindulges. The soldiers are impressed.
Soldier: Do you need us to walk you back to your group?
T: I'll be fine.
She turns around to wave goodbye, but they are no longer there. She goes up to another group of soldiers.
T: Can you tell me who the commander is here?
S: Breakbone.
T: Thank you, carry on.
Tama approaches the command tent.
Guard: What business do you have with Breakbone?
T: I'm here to ask about one of his soldiers.
Guard: Okay, but make it quick.
Breakbone: How can I assist?
T: I was wondering about a certain soldier under your command, a Povol?
Breakbone: Why?
T: He was a friend of mine. I say was, I'm hoping to check on his status.
Breakbone: I'll look at the registry.
He returns a moment later.
Breakbone: I've read twice, and I don't see anyone by that name.
T: I must have gotten the unit wrong. Thank you.
She rejoins her group.
T: Guys, I think there's ghosts here. I talked to a Povol who gave me this wine.
M: Hey random, do you know Povol?
Guard: No.
M: What are you talking about?
Lani goes to the guy who looks like he deals with dead bodies.
L: Hey there, do you know a Povol?
Tama describes him.
Corpseman: Can't say I've met or buried anyone like that.
Malith goes back to the sick bay.
M: Describe this gentleman to my friends here.
Tama keeps it together through a description of the wine, the memories they stirred within her, and Povol. She fools several of the nurses.
Sister Sayas: I've never encountered anyone by that name. Are you sure this wasn't some sort of illusion? What exactly did you imbibe?
T: It tasted like the wines of the jungle tribes, berries and delicious.
SS: That's common, but your pupils are dilated, leading me to believe you are having a psychosis episode.
T: Do you believe in ghosts?
SS: We are dealing with an undead horde in this jungle, so yes. I know there are different kinds of specters that like to play tricks.
T: They know a lot about your camp because they told me the name of the commander.
SS: We're running low on holy water, but I'll reconsecrate.
T: Thank you, miss. Your tits are amazing.
SS nods curtly. Lani follows the scent of sulfur to a travel workshop. He finds the guy running it asleep in his tent. Lani inspects the crafts and finds the work good. The maker is clearly talented and passionate. Lani helps himself to the man's forge. Someone approaches from behind and presses a blade to his back. Then he stops, sits on a stump, and watches Lani work. Lani finishes the spearhead and affixes it to the spear.
Craftsman: Never use my forge without asking again. Nice work.
L: Thank you. I am Lanister. You are?
Craftsman: If I see you again, we'll talk.
Lani gives Malith the spear. Freya goes to find the animals in the camp. There are a bunch of dead pigs decomposing right past the moat. There are four sickly goats. Freya feeds them goodberries and attempts to talk to them.
Goats: *SCREAMING*
Freya: Why are you screaming?
Goats: THERE ARE VOICES EVERYWHERE. MEN RISE FROM THE GROUND AND DEVOUR THE OTHERS.
Freya attempts to calm them down. The goats bite her hand but calm down.
F: Is there anything else crazy going on that you guys have seen?
Goats: The pigs will rise in three days, angry, and filled with bile.
F: How do you know that?
Goats: We know much. If you ever have a question, ask a goat. They blame us for communing with the devil, and sometimes, they may be right. Here, we are not slaughtered but used for milk. If you could convince them to get us out of here, that'd be great.
F: Maybe they can give you better living conditions. Would it make you feel better if I get the pigs out of here?
Goats: If the pigs get up, they're not coming after us. They're going to go after these people.
F: Thank, O Wise Goat. I appreciate your guidance.
The goats ask for food. Freya gives them some leather scraps.
Stablehand: What are you doing?
F: I was talking to the goats. They're wise.
Stablehand: Are you staying long?
F: No. You should burn those festering pigs. According to the goats, they're going to come back in three days and blow up.
Stablehand: I didn't consider animals rise from the dead. I'm going to listen to you. If you're wrong, I'll never know. Also, get out of my stable.
F: The goats want to leave. They don't like it here. Give them something to chew on; they're bored.
Stablehand: We're doing our best, lass. We don't have much.
F: Go into the woods and get some tree bark.
Stablehand: I'm not going out there!
Freya informs the party that three days allows dead pigs to rise.
M: There is a way we could test this. We could make a Povol.
Mush suggests we shy away from murder and instead get moving.
F: We should take this as a lesson to burn the dead.
Mush: Should I burn you if you die?
D: I've already died once.
K: As the undead, I find that offensive.
Mush: There was a lead we had about someone who could bring you back. We could probably find Scrolls of Gentle Repose.
F: When you're dead, you're dead. That's how I feel it should be.
Darvati spent this time fishing. He pulls up a bag and gives it to the snake to scent. A pair of leather boots and a jewel-encrusted dagger is inside. Both items are water damaged.
Mush takes first watch as we all make camp. We've made it to the end of the Aldani Basin. We camp outside a river canyon called the Gorge of Death. It's lined with dead coral. Mixed among the coral is intact skeletons of all sorts of creatures. We find a wide patch of earth to set up on.
Lanister - If and when the Death Knight shows back up. Wants to get rid of it for stealing the first person he's ever loved outside of his village.
Tama - It's a shame Povol was a ghost. He was a cool guy
Malith - Tries to reach the vision of the woman who established contact with her
We all sleep restlessly. A vivid dream unfolds for each of us. We find ourselves naked within Misthaven's sacred grove. We stare down, realizing we've been stripped to our essences. We have no flesh but only the ethereal makings of the Weave. We are surrounded by inky darkness. Only the tree emits a faint glow. There is brief tranquility next to this symbol of our former home. Abruptly, this shatters. A terror approaches. The source is elusive. Our hearts race in horror as a malevolent entity emerges from the base of the tree.
ME: For your transgressions against the reality of the self, I sentence you to death.
We feel panicked. We know we are facing death, going to die.
F - thinking of her father and how she never truly got to find out what happened to him
L - downtrodden that he'll never reach the peak of alchemical or smithing mastery
D - wondering if after being able to finally leave Misthaven, why he'll die before he can figure out the essence of the genosity
K - explode in rage because he wants his memories back
T - sadness that she'll never be able to get back to her family
M - doubt and disbelief
We're all searching for a way out. The feelings within us manifest - time rewinds. As we look on, this figure is starting to rise again from the base of the tree. Several blue threads extended into different places in the grove. We feel the threads that bind. A blue thread stretches throughout this figure to the whispering tree. As we see that, we know we have a choice. We feel these words, our choices to change the final decree and change this outcome are: ceaseless oblivion, scorching madness, or ever-present fear.
F - ceaseless oblivion
L - scorching madness
D - scorching madness
K - ever-present fear
T - ever-present fear
M - scorching madness
Freya stands alone in what feels like a void. As time ticks by, she feels despite being in this ceaseless oblivion, something has rewritten the intent of this curse. She is here with this entity. It's staring at her, expecting her to go mad. Instead, it realizes that it moves sluggishly while Freya moves with full power and intent. In fact, she's faster than she would be normally. The entity slowly withers away as Freya reaches out to claw it. She wakes up, feeling different. She looks down, her veins flowing with something purpleish. For a second, she swears she can see threads connecting her to her friends.
Lanister, Darvati, and Malith feel their skin burning, their flesh mutilating, bones shifting. Transformation is occurring. They realize their cognition isn't their own - they're staring at the essence of themselves. They're all sharing the mind of the entity. It's morphing into something as it burns and goes insane. Then their cognition shifts. They watch as this thing points its curse back at itself. They awaken and see their skin dancing, a tingling sensation running through them. Flesh moves and writhes in a wave. Then they see the thread uniting all of them.
Tama and Krav see the entity for what it really is. It lashes out in fear against them. As they stand in their essence form, they tear away and gaze into its actual eyes. A lone little girl with short brown hair, wearing a black dress, missing one hand, the other holding a rag doll is staring at them, trembling in fear. The inky blackness surrounds it. She doesn't know she's being seen. As they gaze upon her true form, she begins to morph into an amalgamation of several bodies. They fear for a moment, but then the decree has been rewritten. Instead of this amalgamation staying, they transform into the embodiment of fear. The girl flees, disappears. They awaken, a thread binding them to the others. They see blackness - the only thing they can see is a thread. As their eyes adjust, the blackness dissipates. We all awaken in a cold sweat, staring at each other.
Lani wakes up, grabs his Misthaven amulet, and kisses it. Malith tries to establish contact with the mysterious woman. She hears a laugh, distorted at the end.
F: So we all saw these threads?
T: We all saw the threads.
F: What did you all dream about?
T: Fear.
M: Victory.
F: Nothing.
K: A girl giving me the stank look.
M: We should press forward.
They bicker about whether or not we should process, research, accept this gift or not. Mush asks what we're talking about. Darvati gives Lanister the boots to fix up.
T: I suggest we move. We have a limited time here.
Lanister looks up the fire newts. They are medium elementals, immune to fire. There is no weakness listed. They are amphibious. 
Mush: This isn't a game; this is life. If you go in there expecting to annihilate them with ice and it doesn't work, don't be surprised.
L: I have to kill someone in four days. They have to be humanoid. I will feed my bird.
We are now traveling through the jungle. We're deep in the jungle, about halfway through the journey, three days in. Malith scouts. She starts to hear a humming noise. Several individuals are chanting something. She tries to follow the noise to find the source. She comes upon a knee-high lake. Within the center is a giant ball with a lot of totems built around it. It's covered in glowing runes as fire newts -- Malith assumes -- are all chanting around this ball as if in worship. Malith can see the body of what looks to be a Flaming Fist soldier at the base, along with several other burned corpses. She slinks away back to the party.
M: I'm going to warn you guys: we have fire newts up ahead.
D: How many were there?
M: 14.
D: That's a large circle.
T: Must be a large rock.
Mush: If they've pilfered some arcane artifact, it could help us. I know not what you described. We have the element of surprise.
M: I say that artifact is ours.
T: Would it be valuable to your research for our new powers?
L: Maybe it would tell us more about our dreams.
We decide to attack the fire newts. As the last newt dies, the orb in the center begins to glow profusely. Lines begin to appear on it. It starts to open. As it does, we are pervaded with a sense of dread. Now standing directly in front of this orb is a being wearing synthetic leather. It has a device on the side of its hip, two daggers, and a skull face. It looks toward us, says, "Scanning. Target acquired." It pins Tama under its gaze. A second battle commences. Skythirix must be reforged. The thing ultimately explodes, covering us in poison. It is no more. Malith hears a beep when he goes to rescue Tama. She looks in the orb and sees an arcane engine. Malith guides the lizard -- which is holding Tama -- away from the orb. Lanister grabs Freya, gathers everyone else, and bolts. Malith loads the unconscious fire newt onto the orb. The machinery inside is vaporized. Malith goes back to look at it. She finds what remains of the construct's pistols, badly damaged. Malith also found a circular ball with no markings on it. Lani studies the runes. They look to be celestial. Lani copies down what he can see from the runes. As we mess with it, a side compartment glows, which Lani presses. An object is contained inside.