Chapter 20. Blight at the End of the Tunnel I
General Summary
Vass draws his dagger, throws it once at the she-Druid, summoning it to his hand as he bring it forward once again to pierce her a second time. The other side of the room erupts in flames as Bernard smites the antlered Druid, setting him alight.
The she-Druid tries to escape, running out toward the barrel storage room. She turns back, and casts a spell. Moonlight opens up above Alryric, and what is normally a welcome sight to him, then burns him - seemingly not very effectively.She spits a few words at him: “These people, these wine-makers, they are not your friends. They stole out magic and we want it back. Winter splinter…”.
“Cease your movements now. I will give you one opportunity to explain yourself”
While Alyric says these words, having cornered the she Druid, the moonbeam moves back over him, burning him to the ground unconscious. She plucks the staff that he claimed off her ally, and heads out the door.
Elsewhere, Esper hits the antler man over the head with her quarterstaff. He responds by making the earth shake and mounds of soil build up around him, before booting out to the west. Unscathed, Barnard brands him a coward and makes chase.
Ichabod, tied up by vines by the Vineblight in front of him, sees a point of a dagger suddenly appear through it’s face, before it collapses. The vines around his legs restrict. He runs to where he last heard Alyrics voice, and finds him unconscious on the ground. He takes his last health potion and holds it to his lips, restoring his vitality.
Alyric gets up, and immediately heads to the door where the Druid escaped. 50 feet in front of him he sees her, slowly backing away from the building while facing him. Behind her there is constant movement, and he can hear the shuffling and creaking of a countless number of blights.
He holds his holy symbol up and requests from Selune that she gives him one more boost of power. “I gave you a chance to live”
“Look around you - you have no hope!” She is unable to say more as a flash of brilliant light hits her with full force, making her explode. The staff clatters to the ground beside where she once stood.
“The staff - perhaps it could be our way out of here!” Ichabod shouts to Alyric - who tries to stop him going out into no-man’s land. “Come back Ichabod you madman!” Ichabod grits his teeth and with his head down rushes out towards the staff. A volley of vines hit himc bringing him closer to faultering. He click the button on his contraption to try and block some damage from the next volley - he just needs to reach the staff. The vines at closing in, but as he runs, seemingly with the wind at his back with the pace he is setting, ravens swoop down around him - he turns and sees that there are a flock of them perched on the roof of the Winery. They surround him, and fly towards the animated vines, distracting them. As he gets closer, he can hear a cacophonous sound of clicking, and notices they are not charging him back but approaching cautiously. He scoops up the staff, U-turns, and races back to the doorthat Alyric is holding open - Alyric, who takes a few flying needles in the back as he shuts the door and barricades it.
The antler wearing man turns to Barnard, and tries to grapple him as he bursts through the door in chase. Remembering his training in how to break free from being restrained by criminals, Bernard twists his arms upwards and gets out of the grapple. Shocked, the Druid turns and tries to run down the stairs. His back turned to Bernard, offering a large easy target. Barnard brings his sword pommel down on the back of his head, as his body then rolled and tumbled to the cellar, unconscious. Barnard ties him up where he lies in the cellar.
Barnard and Esper run up to check the upstairs, finding a printing press for label making, and more bedrooms.
Ichabod, Vass and Alyric try to block up the main door, which is broken on its hinges. Ichabod creates the smell of smoke on a ballbearing, and believes that this has put the vines off from entering. As he does so, he hears a whinnying from out the front door. Perhaps the family horse in the stable attached to the building. As the chatter and clunk their way around, moving timber and barrels to block up the door, he hears one last whinny, cut short, then silence.
The clicking starts to get louder. Ichabod realised that the clicking happens and the vines approach when they hear sound. Esper and Barnard join them, and he signals Esper to telepathically communicate with him.
“They are attracted by sound! We have been silent, and they have stayed still. Warn the others!”
One by one she passes the message around, and becomes a hub for a discussion on the next step.
The back door is checked - moving vines. The west door - moving vines. They are surrounded.
Ichabod takes the staff up to the printing press to study and explore its powers.
Esper explores the bedrooms. The master bedroom headboard is in the shape of a raven. There is a tapestry of an unknown church hanging. There is a rocking horse, with the now familiar markings “Isnofun Isnoblinski”. It is also marked with a name of the horse - Beucaphalus - with a yellow and red flaming mane.
In the cellar, Barnard and Alyric explore. Barnard picks up a couple of remaining bottles, in case he should want to uphold his end of the armour loan bargain. Alyric feels a draught from the centre of the cellar, which doesnt feel right. In that area, he feels the brick work, and discovers a loose brick. Behind it is a latch, and pulling this unveils a secret hallway. “We’d best report this to HQ” Barnard says over his shoulder, pointing upstairs to where the rest of the team are.
Ichabod completes his identification of the staff. It has an odd spongy exterior, with blood on the surface, seemingly originating from within. It’s a weapon, for sure. Made for killing. Not just killing, but syphoning life force… almost like, like a…
But also there is some sort of link between it and something else. Reaching out like tendrils in all directions. The vines? Will this control them? A word seems to emanate from the object - “Gulthias”. At the sound of this Ichabod has an image of a tree etched into his mind.
He knows that there is only so much he can learn from prodding and poking it, and to fully understand it he has to use it. But first - the blood. Is it real? He finds himself leaning down, and licking a drop of it off the surface. It is the familiar taste of blood - the hint of metalicness, but mixed with a woody sap taste. Yes, that tracks. As he wipes his mouth, Barnard arrives at the door - “Alyric has found something, perhaps a route out!”
The team regroup in the cellar and step through. It is not a passageway out, no - it’s a small cavern. In the centre, tipped to one side is a statuette of three ladies.
One gathering. One weaving a tapestry. One holding a bow and arrow.
“Well how the fuck are we mean to get out now?”
Barnard turns his gaze to the tied up Druid at the bottom of the stairs.
The she-Druid tries to escape, running out toward the barrel storage room. She turns back, and casts a spell. Moonlight opens up above Alryric, and what is normally a welcome sight to him, then burns him - seemingly not very effectively.She spits a few words at him: “These people, these wine-makers, they are not your friends. They stole out magic and we want it back. Winter splinter…”.
“Cease your movements now. I will give you one opportunity to explain yourself”
While Alyric says these words, having cornered the she Druid, the moonbeam moves back over him, burning him to the ground unconscious. She plucks the staff that he claimed off her ally, and heads out the door.
Elsewhere, Esper hits the antler man over the head with her quarterstaff. He responds by making the earth shake and mounds of soil build up around him, before booting out to the west. Unscathed, Barnard brands him a coward and makes chase.
Ichabod, tied up by vines by the Vineblight in front of him, sees a point of a dagger suddenly appear through it’s face, before it collapses. The vines around his legs restrict. He runs to where he last heard Alyrics voice, and finds him unconscious on the ground. He takes his last health potion and holds it to his lips, restoring his vitality.
Alyric gets up, and immediately heads to the door where the Druid escaped. 50 feet in front of him he sees her, slowly backing away from the building while facing him. Behind her there is constant movement, and he can hear the shuffling and creaking of a countless number of blights.
He holds his holy symbol up and requests from Selune that she gives him one more boost of power. “I gave you a chance to live”
“Look around you - you have no hope!” She is unable to say more as a flash of brilliant light hits her with full force, making her explode. The staff clatters to the ground beside where she once stood.
“The staff - perhaps it could be our way out of here!” Ichabod shouts to Alyric - who tries to stop him going out into no-man’s land. “Come back Ichabod you madman!” Ichabod grits his teeth and with his head down rushes out towards the staff. A volley of vines hit himc bringing him closer to faultering. He click the button on his contraption to try and block some damage from the next volley - he just needs to reach the staff. The vines at closing in, but as he runs, seemingly with the wind at his back with the pace he is setting, ravens swoop down around him - he turns and sees that there are a flock of them perched on the roof of the Winery. They surround him, and fly towards the animated vines, distracting them. As he gets closer, he can hear a cacophonous sound of clicking, and notices they are not charging him back but approaching cautiously. He scoops up the staff, U-turns, and races back to the doorthat Alyric is holding open - Alyric, who takes a few flying needles in the back as he shuts the door and barricades it.
The antler wearing man turns to Barnard, and tries to grapple him as he bursts through the door in chase. Remembering his training in how to break free from being restrained by criminals, Bernard twists his arms upwards and gets out of the grapple. Shocked, the Druid turns and tries to run down the stairs. His back turned to Bernard, offering a large easy target. Barnard brings his sword pommel down on the back of his head, as his body then rolled and tumbled to the cellar, unconscious. Barnard ties him up where he lies in the cellar.
Barnard and Esper run up to check the upstairs, finding a printing press for label making, and more bedrooms.
Ichabod, Vass and Alyric try to block up the main door, which is broken on its hinges. Ichabod creates the smell of smoke on a ballbearing, and believes that this has put the vines off from entering. As he does so, he hears a whinnying from out the front door. Perhaps the family horse in the stable attached to the building. As the chatter and clunk their way around, moving timber and barrels to block up the door, he hears one last whinny, cut short, then silence.
The clicking starts to get louder. Ichabod realised that the clicking happens and the vines approach when they hear sound. Esper and Barnard join them, and he signals Esper to telepathically communicate with him.
“They are attracted by sound! We have been silent, and they have stayed still. Warn the others!”
One by one she passes the message around, and becomes a hub for a discussion on the next step.
The back door is checked - moving vines. The west door - moving vines. They are surrounded.
Ichabod takes the staff up to the printing press to study and explore its powers.
Esper explores the bedrooms. The master bedroom headboard is in the shape of a raven. There is a tapestry of an unknown church hanging. There is a rocking horse, with the now familiar markings “Isnofun Isnoblinski”. It is also marked with a name of the horse - Beucaphalus - with a yellow and red flaming mane.
In the cellar, Barnard and Alyric explore. Barnard picks up a couple of remaining bottles, in case he should want to uphold his end of the armour loan bargain. Alyric feels a draught from the centre of the cellar, which doesnt feel right. In that area, he feels the brick work, and discovers a loose brick. Behind it is a latch, and pulling this unveils a secret hallway. “We’d best report this to HQ” Barnard says over his shoulder, pointing upstairs to where the rest of the team are.
Ichabod completes his identification of the staff. It has an odd spongy exterior, with blood on the surface, seemingly originating from within. It’s a weapon, for sure. Made for killing. Not just killing, but syphoning life force… almost like, like a…
But also there is some sort of link between it and something else. Reaching out like tendrils in all directions. The vines? Will this control them? A word seems to emanate from the object - “Gulthias”. At the sound of this Ichabod has an image of a tree etched into his mind.
He knows that there is only so much he can learn from prodding and poking it, and to fully understand it he has to use it. But first - the blood. Is it real? He finds himself leaning down, and licking a drop of it off the surface. It is the familiar taste of blood - the hint of metalicness, but mixed with a woody sap taste. Yes, that tracks. As he wipes his mouth, Barnard arrives at the door - “Alyric has found something, perhaps a route out!”
The team regroup in the cellar and step through. It is not a passageway out, no - it’s a small cavern. In the centre, tipped to one side is a statuette of three ladies.
One gathering. One weaving a tapestry. One holding a bow and arrow.
“Well how the fuck are we mean to get out now?”
Barnard turns his gaze to the tied up Druid at the bottom of the stairs.
Report Date
04 Oct 2024
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