Darkwood--Darkness Rising

[Annalysei]

[Description: Anna's long raven hair is tightly bound at her nape, she is of middling height and of solid build, a build made more for war than feminine wiles. Thin scars mar the skin on her upper body, but remarkably spare her face and neck. Her breeches and mail are a dark blood red, dyed to hide any blood stains. Her only claim to beauty are her large silver-gray eyes, but she cares naught for beauty.]

Strapping her flail to her back, Annalysei replies, "I'm Annalysei. Some know me as Annalysei the Spellreaver, daughter of Maartyn." She sighs deeply and continues, "I'm sure your bard has heard of him. It seems everyone has. I will be happy to help you on your quest, but you should know that my primary goal is to eradicate the Protector and his people. I will save as many as I can on the way."

[OOC: I may have to edit this later to fix some details, but y'all get the idea. She's a bit of an ass, but for good reason.]

[Sorchat]

In ignan I say, "Call me Aednat. A few days ago, we had to burn five bodies. They ate the ashes."

[Sigrid]

[I'm wearing a heavy white outfit, jacket and breeches. It keeps me warm, but isn't armor. I have a mace, with the symbol of the Unknowable engraved on it.

My familiar is a 4' tall female fire elemental. She only speaks Ignan. She can talk to me, anyway. She's very fast.]

[Kalindriel Ec'urb]

The conversation continues in Ignan. Kalindriel looks at Aednat with surprise, "That's an unusual custom. I can't say I've heard of many tribes which eat their dead, much less their ashes. Are they some kind of quasi-elemental Ash worshippers?" She makes a yuck-face. "I can't imagine it tastes well either."

[Laurel]

The slightly stout dark-auburn haired human bard looks at Aednat with wistfulness; she would love to learn anything she could of her culture but can not understand what is being said. Hoping the elemental understands the common language throughout the lands she addresses it politely, "Is there a way for you to cleanse the bodies of the deceased of potential infestation without damaging them further? If there is anyone here capable of bringing any back to this realm it may take awhile to get to some. Or does anyone here have the ability to cure infestations or anything similar?"

[Kalindriel Ec'urb]

Kalindriel shakes her head and replies in common, "She's a fire elemental not a knife. Fire is not selective, it burns everything it touches, which makes it very efficient for what needs to be done. What does it matter though? They're just piles of dead flesh, their spirits fled to Arborea or other realms." She points at some of the wounded elves, "If it is available, the living need cleansing for more, lest you end up with more needing burned. Forget the dead."

[Sorchat]

In Ignan: "What does it say?"

[Sigrid]

"There is no way to clean an infested body. Burn it. Maybe a miracle?"

[Kalindriel Ec'urb]

Kali's voice crackles and hisses as she translates, "The human wants to know if you can purify the flesh without transforming it to ash." She shrugs. "Maybe she doesn't like the taste."

[Annalysei]

Seeing that there wasn't much for her to do at the present, Anna wanders closer to Kali as she translates for the Elemental. Never having heard Ignan before, she leans in, interested. "Fascinating language, that. I didn't realize a language could sound like fire. How did you learn it?"

[Kalindriel Ec'urb]

Kalindriel nods in greeting at Annalysei, "Being able to converse in many languages is useful for studying the denizens of the Planes. I must thank my mother for my talents."

[Led Pighp]

Led and Crushspike return with more bodies. "These look like they were killed by a spell. Circle of Death or something? I see footprints of the death slaad standing nowhere near all of the elves, there's no marks on their bodies, and they just died."

"Is there danger they also would have these slaad larvae in them, since they were never even touched by the slaad? Come to think of it, Marrik was killed with a lightning bolt, from a distance. Is he at risk of contamination?"

As he dumps the body next to Marrik's, he wonders, "What is it with this enemy and infectious attacks? First the evil fungus that can spread from person to person. Now giant attacking frogs who can kill you days later after you've defeated them."

[Kalindriel Ec'urb]

Kalindriel shakes her head. "Marrik took several blows from the other groups of Slaadi. Those other elves could be the same. A single missed spawn could result in a complete infestation."

She rolls her eyes and shrugs. "You are welcome to take that chance if not burning a body is that important to you."

[Led Pighp]

Led holds up his hands in a 'surrender' gesture. "Relax, lady. I was just asking. These things are new to me; I wasn't sure how pervasive they were."

Then he stops for a moment. "No! You know what? You may not know what this is like, but we've all lost friends here. Brothers in arms. I won't apologize for wanting to find ways not to destroy their corpses if we can. And I don't appreciate your cavalier attitude about it all. You clearly have the knowledge on these, and we clearly don't. So just go right ahead and share it, but keep your prissy little attitude to yourself."

[Seven Words]

Spirit Stalker, finally overcoming the effect of the Word of the slaad, speaks...."The red slaadi implant egg pellets with their claws. The blue induce a transformative disease by bite. Close examination can tell if there is an egg, or an infection. The egg can be removed, but the fever must be either resisted, or cured like any other disease. Thank you for your most timely aid. Your companions sacrifice means much to me, but there are dead here who are crucial to the survival of our people. I pledge, I will Raise him, but not immediately. If we defeat the Protector tomorrow, some of those lying dead here MUST be there, else factional fighting and chaos will erupt."

Addressing Led, "Your fighting prowess and methods show the Blood Hunter smiles upon you greatly." *he closely looks at Led's wounds* "You bear an egg pellet within one of your wounds. With your permission, I will dig it out"

[Seven Words]

Finishing a conversation with several important looking elves, the dragon walks over, addressing Vynarkus and Laurel.

"Your words are most fair, indeed. I fear I know naught of your homelands, as they verge too close upon the Dark Wood, and no dragon has been able to approach for millennia. You may call me Khaurumicallixithon, or just Khaurum. I sense a power within you, young male. You have it within you to embrace it's roots, or turn it to a lighter path. You are upon the light path, but beware temptation. You" *majestic head turning, fixing it's gaze upon the bard*, "you feel....familiar. Almost....kinly. It is faint, but a seedling of potential is within you. Your magics can show you how to reach back through your ancestry and channel the essence of the dragon"

"I was sent here to protect the leaders of the elven resistance. I was unable to arrive in time, as Frost Giants beset me before I could take wing. Upon the morrow, when these folk overthrow the Protector, I shall be there, and lend what aid I can. I fear there will be a veritable plague of demons, devils, and all manner of otherworldly denizens."

[Led Pighp]

Led freezes, mouth agape. I'm infected? "Oh gods. Take it out. TAKE IT OUT!" Led swipes at the wound where the cleric was looking, hoping just to gouge the wee beasty from his flesh, but he cannot grow claws again today. He's so busy pawing at the wound that the cleric can't reach in to do anything, and Led's continued mutterings of "take it out" prevent the man from speaking sense to him.

"Just like the gods damned fungus. I knew it would end like this. I stood strong, I fought the enemy and the enemy died, but some tiny parasitical fleck of evil will bring me low anyway."

[Kalindriel Ec'urb]

With Led's words, Kali can be seen to tense up and ready to return with a tirade of her own, however she is interrupted by the priest as she is about to begin. With him losing complete control at mention of being infected, she gives up and starts walking off.

She turns after taking a few steps, unable to let the subject drop. "A little scratch and you turn into a gibbering mess." She mocks Led with distorted immitation, "Eww, a mote of dust! My life is doomed!" Kalindriel takes a step closer. "The Abyss is ready to swallow your pathetic existence along with everything your miserable hide might care about." Another step. "You think an egg in your skin is bad? You chastise me for being cavalier, yet your people face far, far worse while you want to pretty up a bunch of dead and useless flesh and moan about a tiny inconvenience." One more step. "You may not like my attitude, but at least I am attempting to do something besides mutilate my own body while being indignant about it."

She spits at his feet. "Keep clawing then go play with your corpse-dolls. I'm sure that will save your pathetic lands." Kali turns and once again begins walking off.

[Laurel]

"...You" *majestic head turning, fixing it's gaze upon the bard*, "you feel....familiar. Almost....kinly. It is faint, but a seedling of potential is within you. Your magics can show you how to reach back through your ancestry and channel the essence of the dragon"

Laurel's jaw drops at this in utter shock.
Kinly???
Not having the slightest idea what Khaurumicallixithon, ...err...Khaurum meant, she focused further upon what he was saying...

"I was sent here to protect the leaders of the elven resistance. I was unable to arrive in time, as Frost Giants beset me before I could take wing. Upon the morrow, when these folk overthrow the Protector, I shall be there, and lend what aid I can. I fear there will be a veritable plague of demons, devils, and all manner of otherworldly denizens."

Continuing in Draconian, the bard muses aloud, "More battles. I hope we can clean up here and get a decent night's rest. I will aid our healing with a gentle lullabye before we sleep."

Gazing in to the dragon's eyes, she asks as boldly as she can, "One of our clerics has a fire elemental with her who we have asked to help cremate the dead. There are a few we hope to preserve for a few days, in the hopes of possibly raising them after we deal with the Protector.

"However, there are far more dead than those we can even consider attempting to raise. And..." here the bard blushes at the tactlessness of her request, "the flame of a dragon is most likely even more efficient than that of a fire elemental. Would you mind helping us send the dead off on their journeys, once the proper respects and preparations are done?"

As, she finishes addressing the dragon, she hears Led from across the room, "Oh gods. Take it out. TAKE IT OUT!

"Just like the gods damned fungus. I knew it would end like this. I stood strong, I fought the enemy and the enemy died, but some tiny parasitical fleck of evil will bring me low anyway."

The bard's head snaps up at this, and muttering a quick, "excuse me" towards Khaurum, Laurel switches to Common and calls out, "Led???" as she hurries to his side. Upon realizing what it is Led is clawing at, she quickly grabs his hands and tries to still him. Turning towards Spirit Stalker she says, "I have some small skill in mundane healing, and my own kit of healing supplies. Is this something I can do while you tend to others?"

[ooc]should Spirit Stalker's answer be in the affirmitive, begin Long Term Care (or whichever branch of the skill digging out the slaad egg would fall under) of Led with the appropriate Heal checks please. If Led and anyone else who may have training could help me via Aid Another, it would be appreciated.

should Spirit Stalker feel I can not do this, then I do Aid Another using healing for whomever takes on the surgery to remove the slaad egg from Led.[/ooc]

[Seven Words]

Laurel manages to , despite Led's hysterics, dig the egg pellet out.