Cari Town Summer

=Cari Town Summer=
This page is a full episode by episode summary of every episode of the Cari Town Roleplay over the Ascension Academy Year Two to Year Three Summer Break! For the short version, please check the Cari Town page!
==Episode One: Ribbons and Rats==
Finally, in April 17th of 2121- nearly a month after the end of the Second Year of Ascension Academy, the City reopened properly to residents. The first day was eventful to say the least. The logistics of registering so many new residents, assigning them housing, ensuring their work places were prepared so the money could flow- it was monumental. With careful planning however, it was accomplished. Things began to devolve later in the afternoon despite this though. A large creature was heard smashing things and skittering around, so a small ground of Adventurers were sent in to see what it was. They emerged soon after, dragging the carcass of a massive spider. A group of bandits entered the city, causing mild mischief mostly before reports came in that they had attacked some adventurers on the roads outside the city, after which they were lured into a cage with nachos and arrested.
Matters escalated dramatically soon after, as a Robed Man entered the city through the south gate and made his way into the sewers. Once down there, be broke open the locked gate and approached the Waste Purification Machine. He placed a hand on the crystal and cast a spell that corrupted the crystal, turning it a sickly red. The rodents nearby, which had been a mild nuisance earlier in the day for the townsfolk, were quickly corrupted by the influence. Red glowing veins of corrupted mana surged through their body as they rushed the surface with hostile intent. Those they scratched or bit fell ill soon after, and any that were killed emitted a thick black miasma that inflicted the same sickness on any who breathed it in.
At the same time all the toilets in the city backed up at once, which indicated to the townsfolk that the issues might be related. William, on orders from the Mayor, hastily gathered a group including one of the dwarven residents, Belinda, who happened to also be a blacksmith. They ventured down into the sewers, discovering the tampering that had occurred. They were unable to fix it alone however as it was not purely a mechanical issue. Eventually they found Lnik, who gathered his fellow Cadets that were in the city, and they cast a Purification spell on the crystal as Belinda reset the mechanism. This solved the issue, and the rats slowly calmed down and fled back into the sewers. The day was over, night had fallen, and everyone returned to their homes exhausted.
==Episode Two: Fire and Blood==
The next day, things were calmer overall. Most of the affairs in the morning were follow-ups to the events of the previous evening. William was sent to check on the sick in the hospital and touch bases with the guardsmen before gathering the Town Council for a meeting in the Keep. While there, they discussed the rat incident, the tampering that occurred with the Dwarven Water Purification Systems, and how they should respond to future incidents. It was decided on Mayor Aima Yinnow's suggestion that during times of crisis the Townsfolk should be gathered in the Keep where they can be defended, which was agreed to. William also reported that the sickness was progressing and that they should commission the Apothecary Robin to look into a possible cure. And finally, the appearance of the strange plant bush creatures, which Aima calls 'Republicans', was reported and William suggested they send a small group to investigate later.
During the assembly, the emergency plans were announced and the Townsfolk were made aware that it is now illegal to enter the Sewers without permission from a Council Member. Councilwoman Elisabeth Walshe was also introduced as she had finally made it to the Town. And finally, Prim Roza announced that the Cat Cafe was open now that the interior decorating was finished.
During Market Hours many Guild Quests were received and taken care of, including recovering a damaged cart. The Miners working for Lnik's company were sent out later to work, with a guard escorting them. The Guard fought off several bats while the miners worked but it was otherwise uneventful. When they left the mines however, they encountered a group of Adventurers who were sent after them- before they could speak the stall across the road from the mines went up in flames and they rushed to put the fires out. One of the miners who had been injured by a bat, Allan Grey, was forced to stay back with the carts while the others fought the fire. While leaning against a tree to stay upright he heard something in the wind, like whispers. He reported this to his coworkers and later to the Mayor and Guildmaster.
As the day winded down, Uivellon, Priam Lucidum, and Vol'lis Adala were sent out on a small mission to fish for the Guild Chef. While out, they were attacked by the Bandits from yesterday and had to flee back to the gate. The alarm was sounded and a bush creature who was outside the gate snuck in during the chaos and was killed by Sorenna. The other Adventurers and the Guardsmen chased off the bandits without incident thankfully.
==Episode Three: Hatchets and Bones==
The next morning began peacefully. A group gathered outside the Hospital while Samuel checked up on the infected, with Tanya and Steve having a mimic contest which Tanya eventually won, tiring them both out. William noted to the Council Members that a supply caravan that was supposed to arrive several days ago had still not, and that there may be some small shortages if it did not arrive. Mayor Aima saw this as an opportunity to go fishing, to help build up their supply of salted fish, and he took a guardsmen out with him. Back in town, William gave a quick address at the assembly mentioning that they were looking into the issue of the bandits, as well as informing everyone that the bush creatures that were encountered the last few days are friendly. A survivor from the missing supply caravan also arrived, claiming the caravan had been attacked by various wild animals working together- such as a bear and some deer- and that he had seen a Robed Man in the woods as he fled the scene.
Out in the wilderness, Mayor Aima and the Guardsman were captured by the bandits and forced at knife point to drink Koos, becoming incredibly high. The town was informed of this by Adala, and they quickly assembled a rescue party. Before they could leave however, the mayor managed to stumble back into town and into the Tavern. Inside, they treated him as best they could, giving him water and hydration potions to help him detox. Farmer Rol, who had also run into the bandits after being attacked by a rock crab, was taken to the medical bay to treat his injured leg.
Following all of this chaos, and with the mayor indisposed, William organized a group of Adventurers and Guardsmen to go to the Dryad's Grove to speak with him. On the way while circling the city however, they found a flipped wagon with an injured man and his dead wife. They were then attacked by Goblins that had used their previous victims as bait. Thankfully they were able to recover the injured man and return to the gates, but Malgwyn took a throwing axe to the left arm and he along with the injured man were left in the medical bay with Uivellon, the healer, while the rest of the group continued onwards.
The group arrived without incident to the Grove, where they spoke with the Dryad. The Dryad informed them that the woods have felt uneasy, and the wildlife in the region has been behaving very strangely, but he brushes these off as minor issue that he needs to settle himself. He also spoke a little of the bush creatures, telling the guardsmen where the body of the one killed the previous day could be given to it's family. The trip back was uneventful, but on arriving they found the town in chaos.
Boggles were portaling around the city, smacking people in the crotch with frying pans they had stolen. While the group was out of the city, Elisabeth Walshe had a tent burnt down without safety precautions which enraged the Mayor and many of the townsfolk became convinced she was a part of the arson the prior night because of it. After speaking with the Lady Walshe, William informed her there was likely to be a fine for the reckless fire and they began investigating the guard who helped with the burning. One of the Boggles sprayed Narali with grease and then another portalled into her room to throw a bucket of feathers on her, thankfully with Lnik's help to calm her down they were able to clean the mess up without much further incident.
As the evening winded down, things calmed down as they usually do. Many of the guardsmen gathered in the Tavern to drink, becoming aware of a running topic amongst some of the other townsfolk about milk baths and purchasing used bath milk. The topic, unfortunately, continued on as they drank and moved outside to the square where the Mayor was playing his harmonica. With the stars out and the day truly passed, they all settled down in their own little groups listening to the mayor's music, drinking, and socializing until they eventually drifted off to bed.
==Episode Four: Bandit Trouble==
The next morning things started off with a bang. The Bandits and their leader Zane approached the East Gate to negotiate their punishment for their crimes. Eventually they agreed to that the three bandits who had assaulted an Adventurer the first day would serve one month of community service. However the other Council Members disagreed with the Mayor making this call without consulting them, leading to the Bandits being locked up while the Council met. The Council was gathered for their morning meeting, the fine for the fire Lady Walshe started, and the news from the Dryad about the wildlife. They decided that the Bandits would serve community service, but that it would be hard labor such as cleaning the stables and sweeping the streets. They also voted to allow the Museum Curator to open his museum and begin excavations of the Crypts, and to send a group out to investigate the area around the fishing hut where an arson had occurred two nights earlier.
Right as the Town Assembly was about to begin, a bandit from outside broke in and held the Mayor hostage at bow-point. Thankfully reinforcements arrived and the bandit was eventually forced to release the Mayor and join the others in a cell. The bandits outside the walls were informed that if another attempt like this was made, one of the captives would be executed. Unfortunately they attempted with more men sneaking inside, and one of the bandits was killed on the Mayor's order.
A group of adventurers was sent out after Market time to investigate the burned down fisherman's hut. While by the lake, they discovered the body of the fisherman and encountered a Drowner. They also stumbled across the cave that leads up to Walker's Bandit Hideout. Shortly after, several of Lnik's miners ventured out with Narali to do their jobs in the mine nearby. The mines were found to be infested with Dustmites, which tried eating the ores the group mined, but the group was able to haul back enough ore to the town.
At the end of the night the bandits outside the walls assaulted the city, firing arrows over the walls from several sides. Thankfully they all fell short and nobody was injured, but everyone had to be rounded up inside the Keep until the danger had passed. Because of the chaos of the day, Yuki and Prim's date never happened, and little progress was made towards actually locating the Bandit Camp.
==Episode Five: Thick Smoke==
Rats once more roamed the streets on the morning of the fifth day. With the Cat Café closed and the population of stray cats diminished from the events of the previous day, the rodents were too numerous for the few cats to clear away. The Council laid the groundwork for establishing a proper court system in the town, with public trials for more sever crimes. The need for Proteca was also brought up, given it is rare and not native to the region- and is a vital ingredient in the potions the Infected took to stop their symptoms.
The afternoon was mostly uneventful after the Assembly. The townsfolk were told of drills happening later in the evening, and that the waterfall lake has Drowners in it. During Market Hours Lnik and Narali began their own studies, with Narali renting two books on plant life and Lnik renting one called 'Mold Men'. They spoke to the book seller Jeremiah for a bit before heading back to their room where Lnik poured over the books. He determined that the Black Spots were probably not this mold infection the book spoke of, but became fixated instead on Proteca for it's anti-curse properties.
After their studies and some investigations in the sewers by Lnik they gathered their miners and a couple of adventurers, including the newest Adventurer named Lynn, and set out to the mines. On the way, they spotted a bear up the road. Before they could really react however a deer and a wolf leapt out of the brush at the bear and began attacking it, the wolf tearing chunks out of it's hide while the deer skewered it on it's antlers. When the bear fell, the two animals began eating it's body. Narali was disturbed by how unnatural the entire scene was, but Lnik tried to calm her down as they approached the mine. Inside the mine, they had to clear half a dozen giant slug creatures that were eating the moss inside, but the trip was overall a success.
Back in town, the guards were gathered for their fire drills, being instructed on how to create a bucket line to make getting water to the fire quicker. They used the Apothecary as the example building, quickly soaking the side and front of the establishment but thankfully no water got inside. After completing the drills, the guards and townsfolk dispersed back to their usual activities. The still very drunk Elisabeth Walshe, who had flirted earlier with Lnik as well, finally called it a day and stumbled back to her estate with her sister.
Some time later, a group of guards lounging near the East Gate noticed the smell of smoke drifting over the wall, and looked out to see two dark plumes of smoke billowing out of the Slums. The town is hastily assembled, with everyone willing and able grabbing buckets and rushing to the Slums to help put out the fires. William stayed behind in the Keep to ensure the prisoners were not released if the fire was a diversion by the Bandits for that purpose, while the Mayor returned to hold the East Gate for the same reason. After nearly an hour of work with Narali using her earth magic and everyone using buckets of water from the nearby lake, and everyone pulling people from the burning buildings, the fires were finally doused and the injured safe. Uivellon performed some light healing on the injured, who mostly suffered smoke inhalation, and then they were carried back to the town. Overall at least two Slummers were killed in the fire.
The injured were taken to the Hospital while the dead were taken to the Morgue beneath it. The rest of the night was wild with rumors and speculation about the fire, with many suspecting either the Bandits or Lady Walshe. Some came to the conclusion the Bandits would have taken advantage of the distraction to free their leader if they had started the fire, and after some investigating it appeared that Elisabeth Walshe was still passed out drunk in her estate. The rest of the night was spent drinking, for a long day gone and the lives that were lost.
==Episode Six: Siege==
The next day began with chaos. William went up onto the North Wall to check who was ringing to bell at the Gate. A guard arrived soon after, letting Adala inside. Their conversation was interrupted quickly however as William slid down the ladder hard, groaning and taking sharp breaths. His face was covered in blood and an arrow protruded from the left side of his abdomen. He was rushed to the Hospital where his wound was treated, but he fell unconscious while Samuel worked on him. The Mayor meanwhile was informed by the Bandit Leader Zane than if he was not released, his men would surround the city in thirty minutes. He told Aima that his men would also want Elisabeth Walshe, so they could punish her for the torture of their man.
The mayor acted quickly, sending the townsfolk up towards the Keep and assembling the guards and adventurers. Meanwhile Lnik informed Narali of his investigations into the sewers and asked her if she could look into the tunnel that the rats were using to enter the Sewers. She enlisted one of Priam's rats, and sent it off into the sewers to follow the others. It was around this time that the Infected in the town began speaking and realized that they had all shared a very similar nightmare in the night, about a misty landscape and an intense feeling of being watched. There was little time to act on this information however, as the bandits arrived at the East Gate.
The town released Zane to his men but they were not satisfied and wanted the Lady Walshe as well. The Mayor said he would consider while he looked for her, and brought her back in cuffs some time latter. He walked out of the gate to speak with Zane, beginning to state that he wanted to put both the bandits and Lady Walshe on trials as she had other accusations leveled against her. Before he could finish however, the bandits hastily assumed he was going back on his word and drew their bows. So the Mayor returned inside, and the alarm was sounded.
Lady Walshe was supposed to be moved to the Keep and kept in a cell for protection, but was allowed free. The Townsfolk moved into the Tavern, realizing the bandits weren't as likely to search there as they were the Keep. And the Bandits stormed the Walls, raising their ladders and pushing the guardsmen off the gates. From there the guards pulled back to the Barracks Walls that separated the Market District from Old Town and prepared to hold the chokepoint. Some of the Bandits engaged, but others went around the right through Old Town and were met by Sorenna who offered them a way into town. This exchange was overheard by a guard who then fled, now aware of her treason. The Bandits continued to the right, opening the North Gate and storming the Keep from that path. They forced the town to release Elisabeth to them, and fled over the rocks with their captive. The rest of the guards and Adventurers quickly pushed back through the town and secured the walls once more. One of the guardsmen, Verricks, was killed while defending the gates.
Following the attack, the Townsfolk began to fill the streets once more and the mayor tried to organize everyone. At this time the Cadets as well as a few Adventurers gathered in secret to sneak out of the town and rescue Elisabeth Walshe themselves. Lnik, Narali, Mason, Priam, Evonne and Lynn were let out of the city by Yuki, and they headed off past the Slums and towards the Bandit Camp. About two thirds of the way there, they switched to off road so they could flank around the back of the camp. Once they crested the hill, they hid and sent Narali ahead to scout for them in her smaller bunny form. She climbed the root of one of the giant trees along the wall and scurried into the camp. She could see the bandits gathered near the gate, but there was no sign of Lady Walshe. Even worse, she smelled the distinct scent of blood and burnt flesh. She returned to the others, and they snuck in with her a second time.
On Lnik's signal the party attacked the bandits, the Cadets making quick work of them. Within two minutes every bandits was down or had surrendered, with Zane being impaled with a sword. As he fell though, he jerked back and cut Elisabeth's neck- not a fatal cut as long as magic was applied, but a very grave injury. Narali snapped Zane's neck and then helped disarm the remaining bandits, before grabbing Elisabeth and rushing back to town with her alongside Lynn. Priam was sent to town as well, to grab guards and a cart to bring back the wounded prisoners. This left Lnik, Mason, and Evonne to tend to the wounded and make sure they did not escape. There were difficulties with finding a cart in town however, leading to an extreme delay in Priam's return. In this time, the bandits managed to grab Evonne and put a knife to her neck, and most of them who could still walk escaped. Many would not make it far with their injuries however, and Lnik knew it and was furious.
When the cart finally did arrive, two of the bandits as well as the double agent guard Javier, who claims to have defected to the bandits in order to stay with Lady Walshe, and the rest of the party returned to the town, exhausted but having completed their mission. Back in town, Narali and Mason read through the journal of one of the bandits and discovered that they had been freed slaves fighting for their right to remain free. Despite their illegal and somewhat immoral actions, these men hadn't been evil, and having the men that they had just killed humanized in such a way hurt them deeply, making them rethink and doubt their own actions.
The Mayor spoke with Lnik long into the night about the day's affairs, while some of the Infected were given a second dose of the cure that Robin had finally been able to brew after obtaining some of the very rare Proteca. The rest drank, and celebrated, and mourned the fallen on both sides, late into the night...
==Episode Seven: Recovery and Intervention==
One week passed between Episode Six and Episode Seven, being mostly calm and uneventful. People rested and recovered from some of their injuries, while letters and people traveled. One of those people was CAF Officer Finn, who arrived in the morning with his two C.R.O.S.S guards escorting a supply wagon of food for the Town to help their stores recover. Narali met with her rat spy who had finally returned after a week, bringing word that it had followed the locked tunnels in the sewers and found a large circular room with water and lots of large rats.
The Officer immediately began intervening in the Town's affairs, gathering the Council for their morning meeting so he could question them about the town's operations and the events of the last two weeks. He found many faults with how things were being run by the Mayor that the CAF had appointed, claiming that many of his issues were due to a lack of delegation to the rest of the Council, which Lady Walshe agreed with. He told him to lean on his fellow Council Members more readily, and told them to appoint more members to their Council to lessen the burden. Samuel, the town's Surgeon, was brought in and spoke to about joining the Council to represent the Hospital and he agreed. Officer Finn then handled the issues of Javier and Sigurd, deeming their actions insubordinate at best and traitorous at worst. Javier was removed from the Guard, while Sigurd was questioned further. Later, all of the Guard was gathered for an inspection, to see if there was anyone receptive enough to become a Captain to lead them until a Commander could be found. Despite his past actions, the Officer decided that Sigurd seemed to be the best fit for the role and had him appointed, but this decission proved to be rather unpopular among the guards, many of whom still considered him a traitor.
Throughout the day the townsfolk had their own problems, albeit thankfully much less dire. A large falcon had been terrorizing people, stealing baskets of fruit and the guards' weapons and hiding them on top of the Clock Tower. Steve and Gilliam began investigating the matter, with the duo slowly stacking ladders alongside a house and up the side of the tower to try and reach the top. This predictably was not a safe effort, as Steve fell from the tower half a dozen times in the process. This was no ordinary bird however, as Narali soon learned. It was Professor Barnes. In an attempt to 'test' how self-sufficient the town was, he was prodding at their defenses in a non-combative manor and he did not want the Cadets to interfere. As he put it, "Don't you say a fuckin' word!"
Following Market Hour and Inspections, Yuki finally managed to get some time for his date with Prim. They packed a basket with food and drinks and went to have their picnic by the waterfall. Unbeknownst to Prim however, and outside of Yuki's control, Lynn had snuck out of the city and shadowed them to protect them. She hid in a bush nearby during the entire date and used her air writing magic to wingman Yuki, writing "Kiss Her!" and "Go Yuki!" messages and holding them outside the bush where only Yuki could see. After the date as they were going back to the town, they learned that the guard Barry had also shadowed them. Outside the gates, there was a brief fight with some wild boars that were defeated and taken inside for a feast later in the night.
The rest of the evening was fairly uneventful, with the Council, Mayor, and CAF Officer having lengthy conversations about various town affairs and finalizing some plans. The Guardsmen all gathered inside the Tavern to drink and celebrate, quickly getting sloshed and the conversation devolved into a big Boy's Night with banter and booze and various shenanigans.
==Episode Eight: Dark Discovery==
The next morning, Lnik approached the other Cadets as well as the Mayor about a provision he discovered within the Cari Town Charter while doing research for the judicial system he was working on for the town. The provision created an 'Academy Representative' seat on the Council and allowed the Headmaster, or in his absence the Professors, or in their absence the Cadets, to appoint someone to that seat. Mason and Narali agreed to appoint Lnik, making him an official member of the Council for the time being. With this sorted, the Town was assembled for a brief announcement that the Adventurers would be going into the Sewers later in the day. With that, the Council moved to the Keep for their meeting where the new members were brought into the loop about a couple things. William mentioned that he was in contact with the possible Commander candidate and that they would be traveling from Noria to meet the Council soon. They also began to organize a party to go into the Sewers later in the evening.
At the same time, Market Hour began and a couple Adventurers were sent on smaller missions. One was a delivery to Ymradale again, and another was escorting the orphan boy from yesterday to the orphanage. Back in town however things were not so quiet. Scratching was heard under the manholes in the town, prompting a sudden investigation. Officer Finn, Mason, Uivellon and many other Adventurers gathered and entered the Sewers expecting a fight. However they found the tunnels empty bar some normal rats. Despite this they pressed on to the locked grate, where hundreds of rats streamed in and out. After battling past them and unlocking the Arcane Lock, they proceeded. 
As they rounded the corner they were attacking by a human-sized humanoid rat monster, stitched together and growling. It grappled with Steve briefly before being cut down. As they passed under another grate into a tunnel, the ground shook and the mechanism holding it up failed. The grate slammed shut behind them, blocking their way back. They entered the tunnel and came out in a large Cistern full of water. Above them inactive drainage pipes jutted out of the walls. Rickety wooden bridges connected the two ends of the cistern, with floating debris scattered around to the left and right forming makeshift paths to a stone platform with another bit of Dwarven tech, looking like a pump with two levers.
On these platforms and bridges stood half a dozen more of the rat monsters and in the center of the chamber stood the largest, being nearly ten feet tall. As the group entered, they attacked. The beasts swarmed the exit tunnel and began assaulting their defenses, but they fell back away from Evonne's light spell allowing the group to break out of the chokepoint. The group battled the large rat monsters, whittling them down slowly while the largest beast leapt across the cistern to hammer against various groups. The ranged adventurers took shelter up on one of the raised sections to fire down on the rats, but more spilled out from the drainage pipes above and attacked them from behind sending them scattering. Finally though the last few fell and the largest, now surrounded, was cut down and slain.
The officer and a couple of the others investigated the Dwarven tech, while Rick and Sorenna cut open the boss. They discovered it's insides were just as mismatched as the outside, stitched together improperly and corrupted like the smaller tats had been. Before they could continue however, the Officer activated the pumps and opened the drainage pipes. The two pipes to the sides began pouring water into the cistern, rapidly flooding it. The group swam, clinging to debris as the water level raised higher and higher, before they were able to reach an open outflow pipe and swim to safety down it.
When they exited the outflow pipe they found a small pond surrounded by drinking animals. They tried to scare the animals away, but several were killed in the effort. As they investigated the region they found a ring of red runes on the trees encircling the watering hole. The runes appeared to be similar to summoning runes, eerily reminiscent to the ones used on the roof of the Academy at the end of Year 2 which Mason noticed, but they were not used for summoning exactly either. He rushed to report this to Officer Finn, who agreed, alluding to the fact that he believed this to be related to the Darkness or Dark Order somehow as well.
With this knowledge, they gathered the others and formed small trigrams to work on dispelling the Runes by casting the spell in reverse and unweaving it. It was an exhausting and mana intensive process, with Finn working on the Water half and the others, primarily Mason, working on the Dark half. As each rune broke, the forest became more restless with animals assaulting the group trying to stop them. The runes hummed and emitted faint excess dark mana as they collapsed, with the effect growing worse the more runes they dispelled. By the second, unidentifiable sounds that were similar to scuttling was heard around the casters. By the fifth they began hearing faint whispers around them. 
The final three runes required a huge amount of mana from Mason, as the other rookies in his group had drained their smaller mana pools. Mason expended a third of his mana, and the first of the final runes cracked violently. At the next he once again dumped the majority of his mana, his body and mana pool pulled to their limits. But the rune cracked. At the final rune he knelt, wheezing and barely able to hold himself up, but he was determined. He placed his hand on the rune. The others, even those who had no magic experience, began trying to aid him, offering up their mana as little as it was that they held. One by one they fell, drained. The rune reacted, groaning, struggling against them! But Mason persisted! "Do it for her." he repeated as he worked, straining to push on. He reached his limit- they were just short on mana. But he pushed on, dipping into his lifeforce! Finally the rune shattered and Mason fell unconscious, severely Mana Burned.
They were all called together by Officer Finn, and were ordered to remain quiet about what the had found around the lake. The runes had to be kept secret for now. So they gathered their injured, carrying Mason, and slowly made their way back to the town through the quiet woods. Back in the Town however things were escalating. The animals were not only targeting the Adventure group, they were assaulting the walls. A troll and several boars and other animals attacked the Gate, beating against the wooden door and trapping Narali outside with them. She was thankfully able to retreat inside and the animals were dealt with.
The other party returned and were rushed to the Hospital so they could be cleaned and treated. Mason was fine physically, but internal damage from the Mana Burn was sever. 20% of his mana pool was fried, leaving his weakened until it eventually recovers. Other injuries were tended to and the Officer went to speak with the other Cadets. He informed them that they should not investigate further for the time being and that he had sent notice to the CAF about what he had found. he alluded to them that the issue was related to the Darkness once more, saying "given your school likes to meddle in things it shouldn't ", remaining vague to avoid being overheard. He was then pulled aside to speak with the Guild Master, and later in the night agreed to take Lnik and Narali to see the pond. The rest of the night was spent recovering, and for some celebrating to lighten the mood. Even got a date with Lady Mercedes Walshe, and the other guards went to great lengths to wingman for him very disruptively. They drank, and feasted, and eventually went to bed, putting the day and it's dark findings behind them for now...
==Episode Nine: The Trial==
Overnight, the injured were treated with healing magic to get most of them back on their feet, but Mason was still unconscious. When Rol left his farmhouse, he spotted a pack of boars trashing the farmlands, flipping carts, and smashing the pumpkin patch. He chased them off but sever damage was done. He went to the town trying to find someone to help kill the boars, but the Quest was never taken resulting in the farmers' crops being totally destroyed.
After the town assembly, Elisabeth Walshe's trial was held. Prosecution and defense was brought in to represent both sides. Eventually, after the jury went aside to discuss, Lady Walshe was found guilty of all three charges and removed from the council and placed under confinement, unable to leave the town. Later into the night Sig confessed to Narali, with Narali subtly deflecting and agreeing to the dinner as friends despite being very flustered by his compliments- about her fighting prowess and fera form. The day was overall mostly quiet for once, Officer Finn was away investigating matters in the region so no trip to the lake occurred.
==Episode Ten: The Dark==
The three days following the trial passed fairly uneventfully. The guards trained and planned, the injured continued their recovery, and letters carried by the Fairy Mail traveled swiftly. One sent to Grizna, to the Walshe family's lands, and another sent to the town itself for the Mayor. Sigurd and the other guards worked on scheduling and organization mostly, planning out Day and Evening shifts for guards to answer the gate bells.
On the forth morning after the trial, the Council gathered to speak of various matters that had come up. After further investigation the farmers reported that this season's crop yield was practically a total loss due to the boar attacks that had ravaged the harvest. Thankfully the town was due for a shipment of grain of Eios soon anyway, but the stores would be thin this winter if they did not act quickly. The Mayor brought up the letter he received from Officer Finn last, telling Holtby that Lnik and Narali would need an escort to a location. Holtby insisted on knowing the details before sending more Adventurers out, to which the Mayor was hesitant. Eventually the rest of the Council was told to wait outside while the Mayor explained to Lnik, though William was allowed to remain.
The Mayor explained the Lnik that the letter pertained to the Darkness and stated that the rune circles around the lake were identified as Darkness related magics. The Officer wants Lnik and Narali to check the area where the rune circles were cleared from to make sure the region is recovering and nothing suspect is going on anymore. Lnik agreed that keeping this from Holtby was likely for the best given the nature of the Darkness, calling it a cognitohazard. They decided to tell Holtby that what they were investigating was necrotic runes that had been destroyed, leaving out all mention of the Darkness. After hearing this Holtby agreed to send what Adventurers were around, though there were very few in any condition to go today.
William meanwhile had no clue what the Darkness was, but from what little he heard and the connections drawn to the rats and animals issue, and that Lnik and the Mayor were both worried enough that they did not even trust the Guildmaster, he was very shaken. During the Town Assembly right after, William was seen steadily nursing a large mug of ale to calm himself. At the assembly the Mayor announced that it should be safe to fish and hunt again, and Sigurd explained the new Shift system briefly to the townsfolk. After this, William was tasked with gathering the Adventurers after market hour.
Leon and Belinda left with a small escort to go on a picnic by the waterfall. When they returned Uivellon, Priam, Lnik, and Narali were gathered to be debriefed. Sigurd and Javier were engaged in a very heated argument by the hotel, so William pulled the group towards the Adventure Guild and explained without mentioning the Darkness portion. The Adventurers were needed to lead the Cadets since neither of them had been on the mission, unfortunately the Adventurers did not remember the way fully. When they left the North Gate however they recognized a couple landmarks, namely the cliff that Uivellon almost fell down, and found the lake swiftly just a little North West of the town.
When they crested the hill, they spotted a large number of rat constructs, small and large, near the far side of the lake. Narali changed into her rabbit form and snuck a little closer in the grass, spotting a man in dark robes casting a new rune circle. She scurried back and reported this. After some debate the decided they needed to stop this man, but they could not fight the constructs all alone. So Narali was sent as a runner back to the town and gathered four additional guardsmen to go with them. With their forces gathered and a plan to harry the enemy, Lnik strolled up to the rat constructs and began shooting them with spears of holy magic. After getting their attention he fled back to his allies with the horde at his heels. Some of the guards opened fire with their bows and crossbows while the rest along with the Cadets split off and began attacking the smaller constructs. Narali noticed the Dark Order Cultist fleeing and moved to capture him, but the larger constructs pulled back to defend their master. Narali still managed to grab the cultist, readying to claw him open, but he cast a quick spell that blasted her back with dark magic. He himself was drained and tripped, but quickly recovered and fled while the larger constructs kept her busy.
After the group dispatched the final constructs, they began their pursuit of the Dark Order Cultist, following his tracks and the blood from the injuries Narali dealt him. The tracks wrapped further west past Ymradale and into an old quarry where they discovered an entire encampment of the constructs. The group formed up with their ranged units in the far back ready to rain arrows down into the quarry while the others pushed further right towards the entrance. When the constructs finally noticed Narali, the party attacked. The Cultist ran into a tent to avoid the arrow fire while the rat men all poured out the mouth of the quarry and attacked the party. While they battled the rat constructs, the Cultist one again fled further North, this time following the roads so he could not be tracked as easily. 
When the constructs were defeated, Narali and Uivellon went up the road to look for any signs of the Cultist while Lnik and Priam searched the camp bellow. In the tents they found a disgusting scene. Blood and rough stitching, saws and knives. In the back of the camp mounds of rats, mutated and twisted by dark magic, lay dead everywhere. They were overgrown and carved open, some looked like half-finished rat constructs that had not been finished yet. And further back still were half a dozen human corpses as well. On a log next to some tools, Lnik felt a strong source of dark magic. The source of this was in a small pouch. Inside was a dark stone disc with a strange symbol carved into one side. To Lnik's attuned senses, with Light Affinity and holy magic, the rune stone just felt wrong. He carefully collected it and moved to the top of the quarry to wait for the others to return.
Narali and Uivellon returned empty handed, finding Lnik with the rune. Lnik decided to destroy it, reasoning that it might be tied to the spots and destroying it may cure them. Everyone stepped back and Lnik blasted the bag with his holy laser. The bag burned away, but the rune did not break. Narali however began having a pounding headache and her arms began to itch where the spots were. Lnik tried again despite this, with the rune stone pulling in the light magic almost like it was absorbing it or extinguishing it. Narali's condition began to worsen with her calling out for his to stop, so he did. After this they returned to the lake to try and unweave the rune circle on the tree. They lacked the required affinities however so they returned to town to lock up the rune stone and look for someone with Dark Affinity, and Water or Fire Affinity.
After debriefing with the Mayor and Guildmaster, they quickly discovered that almost nobody in the town actually know their affinities which made their task very difficult. Eventually the Mayor and Guildmaster decided to send Jeremiah to the docks to sail to Esperia and see if he could request a few GMA Cadets to come to the Town and help with the rune circle. He left hastily, using a speed spell to run extremely fast to the docks. The rest of the night was mostly spent recovering for everyone, and resting. 
==Episode Eleven: Runes==
The next morning the Guards awoke in the barracks to find that Barry had spent most of the night awake watching the strange Rune Stone downstairs, which was unusually because Barry normally spent the entirety of every night awake watching the other guards sleep instead. Officer Finn returned to the town from the East, while Jeremiah returned from the North with a group of Esperian Constructs. The officer had strong thoughts on the outcome of Elisabeth's trial, but there were other important things to see to. After the Council Meeting, the Town Assembly was held. The townspeople were allowed to come up to the Constructs and using them were able to test their affinities. During the process, Officer Finn kept an eye out for anyone with Dark, Water, or Fire affinity, and pulling them aside into a group with the two Cadets. After he had a sizable group, he picked from them who would go with them to the lake and dismissed the rest. 
The group was lead out of the town and towards the lake, encountering a small group of goblins near the rocky path. The combatants of the group quickly dealt with the threat, and the group continued to the lake. The group then set about unweaving the Rune Circle, using the present affinities and mana pools for this end. After they were complete the officer requested to see the camp the Dark Order Cultists were using as well, so the Cadets lead the group there. Along the way they were once again accosted by a larger group of goblins but the combatants were able to slay them and they continued to the campsite. Mason and Narali went down into the quarry to search, with Narali burying the bodies using Earth Magic and Mason locating a couple small tools from the collapsed tents. After this the group returned to town, having one final goblin encounter in the woods. 
Back in the town, Officer Finn began studying the Rune Stone. He could read some of the runes and slowly worked out what it was. It seemed to be some sort of corrupted healing spell with a number of dangerous additions made to the runes. It also seemed capable of storing a mana charge for a short time to be used. Before he could finish his studies however, a stranger entered the town. They meandered about, taking note of the Rune Stone and speaking with various townsfolk. Unfortunately, they discovered that Barry was fixated in some fashion by the Rune- and on top of that was also drunk. They lead Barry aside, trying to convince them to steal the Rune Stone. When that failed, they lead them back to the town center and put a knife to Barry's throat, confronting Officer Finn and Mayor Aima and demanding they give the Rune Stone to them. They claimed their family was being held by someone and if they didn't return the Rune Stone they would be killed. So if they refused to comply, they would kill Barry. They also revealed there was a smaller stone on their necklace with a rune in a similar style but clearly a different spell. They claimed it would trigger if they died, killing themselves and Barry. 
The Mayor tried to talk them down to no avail, only agitating them as he tried to take control of the situation. As the talk continued they backed further down the Market Road, raving and screaming at the Mayor. Sigurd then tried to offer up himself in exchange for Barry, claiming he as Guard Captain would be a more valuable hostage. The Cursed was too paranoid about this however, refusing and claiming it was a trick. As tensions escalated, Narali and Mason were informed in the Café near by of the scene that was unfolding. They stepped outside, and Mason snuck around behind the Cursed. He grabbed the man from behind and tried to disarm him, but before he could the Cursed was suddenly compelled to stab themselves which triggered the necklace rune. 
Mason, Barry, and the guard Marley were downed by the blast and the Cursed was killed. Barry thankfully was thrown away from the explosion with their armor taking most of the impact, only suffering surface damage like bruising. Marley was further back and was only knocked over and into a table, suffering similar scraps and bruises. Mason however was not so fortunate. He took the brunt of the blast, suffering major damage. Everyone was rushed into the Hospital, where Mason was treated. The Cursed's body was also taken into the Morgue, and the necklace rune was recovered and given to the Guards to lock in the Keep. 
While the town recovered, treating the injury and collecting themselves, Officer Finn returned to his studies. After extensive deliberation, he began to try to unweave the negative parts of the Rune Stone. Mentally it was very similar to what they had done to the Rune Circles by the lake but more complicated, like untangling a knot filled with thorns- a very slow and excruciating process. After nearly twenty minutes of laboring, the Rune Stone finally reverted to it's uncorrupted state. Officer Finn left the Keep, sending for someone to bring him the Infected and a Mana Potion as he was heavily mana drained by the process. 
Narali was the first to arrive, and Finn asked her to pull from the Rune Stone to allow the spell to take hold. She hesitantly agreed, and as predicted the spell did trigger. She felt it wash over her, lifting the effects like a coarse heavy blanket away from her. Her mind cleared and the spots on her arm began to burn- before fading away completely. She was cured. The Officer quickly moved to the other Infected and one by one he cured those that were awake, with Belinda being the only one left Infected for the night. 
==Episode Twelve: The Crypt Stirs==
A handful of new arrivals make their way to the town over the next couple days. The last is the new Guard Commander, Sorin Vasvarian, who arrives on the morning of the third day following the hostage situation. During that time the injured were treated in both mundane and magical fashion with the aid of one of the CAF Guards who knows minor healing magic. William, who had been sick the last few days and had only left his home once briefly to give Barry a Sketchbook, finally returned to business as usual now that the stomach bug had passed.
Commander Sorin was introduced to the Council during the Meeting, with Sigurd remaining as his second in command as Captain and attending the meeting with him. They discussed the potential food shortage in great detail, with William informing them that with the farm's summer yield lost they would only have enough to make it by through winter if nothing happened to the winter stores. Despite technically having enough to get by, he is uncomfortable without a safety net and many suggestions are made from those present about possible solutions. A shipment of Wheat from Eios is set to arrive shortly, but that was already accounted for in William's previous statement. Officer Finn suggested the Council take control of the food stores of the town and ration the supplies back out to the town to ensure the Council has enough to survive. The Council is not very favorable to this idea, and other suggestions are made.
Some say they should simply tell the town about the issue and ask them to ration themselves, but William points out something similar happened in Noria after the Ymra Crisis and it just lead to everyone buying more food and stockpiling, making the food shortage dramatically worse and resulting in more starvations and crime. Eventually they decide to hold off on any announcements or dramatic decisions for a few more weeks to see how the supply is doing. Further, they decide to tell the Tavern to start giving out slightly smaller portions to make the meals stretch further, and to work on the logistics of a hunting competition to encourage the townsfolk to hunt for more meat to pad the winter stores as well.
With that matter settled, they go down to the assembly area and begin the Town Assembly. Commander Sorin is introduced, and the townsfolk are told to not touch any brightly colored frogs- though some debate if licking them is a good idea despite the warning. The Mayor also mentioned to everyone that winter will be coming up in a few months and that they should be wary of wasting any food to make sure they have plenty to make it through the winter. A sort of compromise between telling them and not telling them. He also mentions that the Museum Owner was going to be detonating some TNT to clear a cave somewhere and to not mind the sound.
With that everyone disperses and shortly afterwards Market Hour begins. The Adventurer's Guild is contacted by Speed Wagon about sending a group into the Crypt to clear the first chamber. He told them that he wants whatever the central statue is holding, to put on display in his museum, but they can take everything else and split it for their pay. A group agrees and is assembled to go into the Crypt. Meanwhile, a horrifying monstrosity of a merchant wanders into town. The Puffin Man. Speaking in a high pitched voice with his mask woven of pure nightmares, shaped crudely like a Puffin fruit dotted in divots and holes, with its bulging googly eyes and crooked grin full of misshaped teeth. It promptly gives Ara Tulip and Uivellon, the first two townsfolk to see it, PTSD.
An explosion somewhere in the Crypt shakes the town, ratting windows and disorienting the townsfolk. Some time after Wagon Speed enters telling them the crypt is ready for the Adventurers, so they leave for their mission. He meets them outside and leads them in, where they kill several bats. He then directs them towards the newly opened wing, the objective of their Quest. They enter and face dozens of bats, as well as Skull Bats and some kind of one eyed bat creature that shoots a weak laser from it's eye. After battling through and killing them all, the Adventurers recover a Golden Axe from the Statue, as well as various old objects from the Sarcophagus including what seemed to be a damaged Speed Cloak. They also looted several chunks of a gemstone and heard scratching behind the walls which prompted them to leave.
Back in town, a group of Bush Creatures were pestering the guards at the gates. After being refused entry by the Commander, they snuck around the walls and rang the bell at the other gate where they were eventually let in by Sigurd and Yuki. Inside, minor antic ensued. The older Guards informed the newer guards and townsfolk, and the Commander, about the Bush Creatures and explained that they were mostly harmless. After fooling around and hiding in the trees- and T-Posing on the roof of Lnik's building ominously in the shadows- the Bush Creatures savagely tore into a slice of cake, brutally slaying the valiant vanilla strawberry slice. The guards held a small ceremony and Ara ate some of the cake off the ground, before the Bush Creatures scurried over the walls and fled back into the woods.
As the night winded down and people mingled in the Tavern and Square, another small intruder entered. A fairy from the Fairy Mail had heard that Barry had seen one of the secret Fairy Mail pickup/drop off locations and had come to seek revenge with mildly annoying pranks. Before they could find Ara and begin their scheming, they were spotted and apprehended by Commander Sorin. With a hastily, and shittily, made up excuse about cabbages, they were taken into the Tavern where they ran into Ara and were let go. Now freed, they began their conniving with Ara. During this process, they also learned of the CAF Officer who had returned a box full of 'return to sender' letters, which are a pain in the ass to deal with, so the fairly decided to seek retribution for this as well.
Firstly though, their objective was clear. Tie Barry's boots together. After sneaking upstairs however they discovered the guard boots have no laces. With this plan being a failure, they moved on to plan two: They ventured outside and recovered some mildly burnt toast- just burnt enough that it would taste bad but not burnt enough that Barry wouldn't eat it. After delivering this mild inconvenience to Barry, they then snuck off to the Keep to find the sleeping CAF Officer to turn his robes pink. After this quest, they ran around town for a while, taking a plate of cookies to the Red Brick Alley to stay the night.
Category:Chronicled Events
Category:Ascension Events
Category:Ascension Lore