The Quiet Town

Expedition

The expedition discovers a strange town, but a heavy rain blankets the surrounding area, and the air itself has stilled despite it as if it has died. The muddy ground and smell of rain give no hint as to when it last stopped...

Approaching the town and searching for a way through, the party quickly discovers that it is overwhelmed with a large variety of undead creatures patrolling through it. Some of them more familiar and akin to creatures from their homeland, whilst others - completely unknown and unfamiliar.   The town they traverse through also bears some signs of construction that doesn't match up to the time of the ruins nearby, with Ali's variety of knowledge, and attentive disposition she determines that this was likely the location that was once used by Indra's followers, though whatever shoddy buildings they had built have weathered as if several centuries had passed - not a matter of years.   Amongst the remnents of thos members, they discover two haunts, and a strange tree that appears to have been transmuted out of one of the followers; with living bark and veins inside, it bears a blood so rich and energizing that even Ali can't help but have an appreciation for.   Yet, such matters were quite risky - as the smell of blood and sounds of battle were capable of attracting beasts from nearby who radiated a terrifying aura of risk. Requiring harvesting of the tree to be done by Marrok Blackcrag whose familirity with survival and nature allowed him to adeptly take from it's bloody sap.   It should be noted as well, that this matter was not risk-free, and eventually the path of a patrol and the party would clash, awakening one of the nearby haunted souls from nearby who - in a jesterlike madness attempted to reap the soul of Griselda.   Unplacable, Gallow stepped to her side, and ordered a quick strike - and with his empowering words, and her own talons griselda quickly tore it to pieces, breaking even the lantern to which it was bound, and freeing the soul from it's unceasing torment.   Unfortunately for these adventurers however - at the entrance of the village was not only a large swarm of enemies, but also one of the strangely terrifying creatures. Whose presence and act had a foreboding sense of death attached to it. yet - earlier, the adventurers had noticed the beast's propensity to respond towards "life", and as she cloaked her party in an aura of death, she snuck off from amongst them.   Pulling out a knife, she struck a hefty blow against the living tree, whose great shrieks of agony upon awakning drew all of the creatures of the town unto it - opening a path forward for the party and allowing them to collectively and promptly escape, much to rising feeling of alarm in their minds.   an induspitably wise choice as the merits of the strategy would pay off, a massive explosion spanning that of large town would erupt behind them and tearing up the area around them, opening up the path forward for the party at the back to safely traverse around the edge of the sudden crater.