Darkwood--Deepening Dusk

[Laurel]

The bard smiles a huge grin of relief.
It will be safe to burn the building.
Led was on the right track all along.
...and yet.

"Marrik, can you tell if it is flame, or simply heat that vanished the spores? I am puzzled by all of this...

"Even if Led had not overheard the plot to poison the city, why add wax to the flour if one was attempting to poison the citizens of the city with it? Nothing would have been made with the flour, once the contamination was found. I am sure of it. And seven tubs of flour would not a famine make; it would simply be a financial burden on the baker to dispose of safely and replace...

"Was this perhaps all a distraction from something else?" she wonders aloud to herself.

[Seven Words]

Skyseeker speaks up, "The Darkness Beyond did not, in our tales, shrink away from mere heat. When Aur'skellii fell, the first to feel the spores touch were working in the forges."

[Laurel]

The bard slowly nods. "Then I am satisfied that burning this building is the way to proceed. Marrik, will you go outside and bear witness to Heren that flame is effective against this?

"...although, I am still uncertain why it was made obvious the flour was contaminated with the addition of wax, if it was the fiends wish to get poisoned food out into the market," she continues to muse to herself.

[Seven Words]

The paladin steps out, and loudly informs all that burning is efficacious against this peril. The people preparing to burn the bakery now proceed at a much quicker pace, and seem much happier now that they know their efforts WILL succeed.

[Led Pighp]

Led watches quietly as the guard finish building the pyre of the bakery. He keeps an eye on the other people watching, but otherwise just lets them get started with the burning.

[Vynarkus]

Vynarkus nodded slowly at what Laurel said about the wax. "Either they are trying to distract us so they have time to escape, or they are trying to draw our attention away from something more durable that is also in here.
"Marrik, will you help me see if everything in here that has magic or evil has wax in it?"

[ooc]I would have posted this before most of what I'm posting after, but I wasn't on to see it.[/ooc]

[Seven Words]

"All of the evil is these waxed spores."

A guardsman returns, speaking to those set to watch over the tunnel...you can overhear the conversation..Sir Pval is ending that cleric down, he will cast glyphs of warding just above the silence, to prevent anyone from ever using it again.

[Led Pighp]

Led, choosing to see this as an opportunity to be belowgrounds and away from any falling spores for a while, heads over to the entrance to the tunnel, and looks down into it.

"Well, I think we'd best get down there and explore a bit. Find out how big of a threat we're dealing with. I just hope there's another way out of here once he wards the entrance."

[ooc] - Depending on how urgently the cleric seems to be heading over, Led will attempt to get him to bless another skin of water (and suggest that the rest of the party also acquire some) in case they run into more fungal spores.

[Laurel]

The bard slowly nods, then looking at the skein of Holy Water addresses Skyseeker. "Do you think we who went inside the bakery should rinse ourselves off with the blessed water? Would it have any additional benefit on top of what protection dousing ourselves before we went bestowed?

"Or would it be a waste of such a valuable commodity?"

[Seven Words]

"If any were upon you, you would have known within seconds."

[Laurel]

With a curt nod of thanks, the bard then turns and approaches the Heshic scribe. She hadn't failed to notice the distance he had put between them from when she first came out of the bakery.

Stopping about 10 feet away, she gazes directly at him. "Do you accept Skyseeker's word? Am I no longer outcast unclean in your eyes? If we are to continue onward as a party, I feel I must have at least the trust of your touch at need."

[Led Pighp]

Led stares at her. Then, thinks back to his behavior since they'd arrived at the bakery. He frowns in chagrin, and looks down.

"Lady, I am ashamed at how I have let my fear rule me, even to the point of being discourteous." He bows, deeply. "You are correct, that your presence is no risk to me now." Then he chuckles, "But since we're about to enter the sewers, it seems likely that you'll be unclean for the forseeable future. Perhaps it's good that you were kept from your bath earlier. It would only have been wasted."

[Laurel]

The bard openly smiles now and steps closer to the scribe to speak to him in an undertone.

"Ah...Potentiality. If I had had the time to bathe, trust me, it would not have been wasted..." With a wink she turns back to the others. "Are we agreed to see if we can pick up the tracks again of those who may have done this? If so, I must make arrangements for Garvin to be stabled back at The Winding Way with Hardy until our return..."

[Seven Words]

Herren looks regretful, but says, "I'm sorry, but once Book-Ward Loxoran places his spells within the tunnel, we're burning the building. And I hear a horse coming now"

A horse does indeed come trotting up.

Book-Ward Loxoran steps down, gestures to all about, muttering the blessing, "Wisdom upon you all", before crouching down and inscribing three Glyphs of Warding just above the radius of the Silence spell.

As he stands, and bids all a good night, Herren's guards set the bakery aflame.

[Vynarkus]

Vynarkus makes it obvious that he is looking all around, as though expecting something to happen now that the bakery has been burned.

[ooc]Detect Magic, please[/ooc]

[Led Pighp]

After watching the guards start the building on fire, with perhaps too much grim satisfaction in his face, Led catches the eyes of the rest of the party and nods back towards the Inn.

He then walks over to Garvin and Laurel. Stroking the horse's neck with one hand, he offers his other arm to Laurel. "Fair maiden, I believe we had dinner and conversation that was interrupted. But I would at least like to enjoy the stroll back there as if everything were fine with the world. Would you care to join me?"

[Laurel]

With a bardly flourish, Laurel grasps Garvin's lead in one hand, and smiling, places the other on Led's proffered arm. Smiling jubilantly towards the rest of the party, she asks, "Shall we head back then? Some dinner, a bottle of elven white, and a hot bath still awaits me at The Winding Way..."

[Led Pighp]

Once everybody is back in the closed off back room of the Inn, seated around the table with meal started and drink in hand. (Including Jauron, who is paying for the room and fare.)

"I didn't want to say anything in front of the guards and citizens, but I saw some things that we should all know about. The situation is more dire than we'd thought."

"The two men were out in the common room, appearantly listening in with magic. They perked up when you cast your message spell, and then left immediately. One of them was a Warforged, which is a race or living constructs. They were created by Skyseeker's people to help in the wars, just like mine were. They settled near where my people did, so we run into them here and there. This one is made of adamantium, though most would take him for a man in full plate armor."

"They bespelled the two guards at the gate, and were talking to a third man outside it. He was an elf. He was also deathly pale, as if he were a corpse, or maybe just never saw the light of the sun. He had what looked to be disease spots... like lichen growing on a rock, all over his skin. Skyseeker says that these marks are the signs of one of the ancient enemies from the war, so I'm guessing that it was really an elven civil war."

"Anyway, he threw some objects over the wall to them, to help them out. He said several things that disturbed me."

Elf: Is Sir Pavl properly prepared?

Human: yes, all the reagents, the "food", the nutrients and the <sinister chuckle> fertilizer.

Elf: Stars alignment wil be next couplle of nights. Imbue and flee, to sow fear and sap the wills. Use him and the converts to lead all out, and let It's Touch befall this place. (note capitalization of "It's Touch")

"After we gave chase of them, they went straight for that tunnel and jumped in. I don't think they really would have had time to put those wax pellicules into the flour at the bakery, so that means that part was done beforehand."

"But, I did learn this much... that priest is no Lorekeeper. He wore his ceremonial quill and ink pots on the same side of his belt. That's like a priest of Missaryi facing west at sunset, instead of facing east. No real Lorekeeper would make that mistake. He really did cast that spell of warding, so I guess he's a priest of somebody. But it's not Serloth."

"So, it seems to me that Sir Pavl is entwined in all this, as is this fake priest. They bring the priest in to give legitimacy to their claims of divine guidance, when Pavl is really preparing the whole city for death."

"Combine that with the things the voice from the portal at the ruins said, I think they need to sacrifice souls to break the seals on these portals. Darak Stonehands had said that prisoners were taken from the pens and into the armory where the alter was, but never returned. Perhaps Pavl intends to use this fungus to lead all the people somewhere, so that they can all be used as fuel."

"Anyway, that's all just speculation. His plans are worth stopping, whatever their specifics. And, I think we're the only ones in a position to do so."

[Seven Words]

Skyseeker looks thoughtful, dredging again through old fables in her mind..."There were rituals, I recall, where certain spores, not the Darkness Beyond Death, but a different kind, could be introduced into a person and caused to grow...opening them up to evil, turning them either into a servant of evil, or if they proved too resilient to corrupt, as the base form from which a monstrosity would be created. "

[Led Pighp]

"Why do I get the feeling that one or the other of those fates is in store for Pavl?"