Session 20 (03/04/2022)

## Day Seventeen, Night

**The** party leaves Karvas’ shop and as soon as they step out Dove’s nose catches the scent of food on the air. She tells the party, and everyone decides to follow her to dinner. They arrive at an open area in the docks district and see food stalls setup in a semicircle with a bonfire going in the middle. Some people are dancing in the square while others sit and eat their food.

Dove goes to all three of the stalls and ends up with a huge platter of different foods from each. She sets down on the ground and begins to eat.

Pele gets some fried eel skewers and octopi balls. She uses Mage Hand to feed herself the octopus so her other hands are free for the skewers.

Swage hand-picks twelve separate crabs and has them cooked so they are very spicy, he also orders some bread and cheese. Once the crabs are ready, he begins to break them open and places the meat onto the bread with the cheese, and makes crab meat sandwiches.

Hadwin, not used to all the odd food that everyone else seems to be eating sticks with a simple serving of bread and fish soup. Koko, his familiar, eats some as well more so as something to do not out of any real need to eat.

Holly gets a tankard filled with chowder and begins to wander around the square while drinking it. Keeping an eye open for a place to get a real drink.

Kaz orders some eel kebabs as well and some raw fish fillets for Jorge. He eats the kebabs in one bite, pulling out the sticks and tossing them aside. Like Holly, he’s also keeping an eye out for something to drink.

The party comes together again and starts to finish up their food. Pele is done first and joins the dancers around the bonfire. Soon almost the entire square is watching her dance.

Holly and Kaz both find a vendor in the square serving drinks. The stall is run by a goliath, and Kaz almost changes his mind once he sees him. He orders the largest size they have though and pays with exact change walking away as soon as he has his drink. Holly orders the same thing, although he has some trouble carrying the large mug.

Kaz, trying to avoid the other goliath, keeps his back toward the larger group and watches the water and docks. He sees many people eating, drinking, and talking on them and suddenly they all begin to fall over.

“The Green Plague!” Someone in the distance screams before falling to the ground.

“Nope. Couldn’t have just stayed in the guildhall to eat,” Hadwin says sarcastically looking around for his friends.

Kaz grabs the two closest people to him and begins to run them back into town away from the gas.

Swage stands quickly, a crab claw hanging from his mouth, and casts Detect Magic on the cloud of green gas. The entire cloud bank lights up, it looks like it's magically being moved from out on the water to the land. He thinks it's very similar to the magic residue left on the bodies in Seidan.

Pele begins to gather in wind and magical energy turning it into a twenty mile an hour whirlwind. She begins to grab anyone near her and pull them into the vortex, so they aren’t trapped in the gas.

Dove throws a length of rope into the air, and it appears to stay stuck there. At the top of the rope an entrance opens, and she begins to usher some nearby crying children into the space. Once they are safely inside, she climbs up after them.

Hadwin looks around quickly and spots an older woman with a bad leg and a man in a wheelchair. He runs over to support the woman and has Koko push the wheelchair. As they get them to safety Hadwin sees a strange-looking animal running through the crowd. It appears to disappear and reappear and looks like it's covered in blood.

Swage says a prayer to Gond and tries to dispel the magical cloud. He feels the power of Gond flow through him and towards the cloud but as soon as they two meet Swage’s magic is swatted away without any effect. He begins to run back towards with guildhall.

Holly, still carrying his mug runs down a side alley and as soon as the fog reaches him, he begins to chug the ale using it as a sort of water barrier/gas mask to keep from breathing any of it in.

Kaz runs back into the square to see if anyone else needs help, but it looks like the majority have already cleared out or been helped by his friends. He sees a woman stagger out of the cloud coughing, her eyes almost glowing a bit, she falls to the ground wheezing. He sees Pele’s tornado and sees Dove’s head sticking out of her hiding spot in the air but would have to pass through the fog to get to either of them.

He runs towards a nearby building with a balcony and takes a running jump at it and starts to climb. He gets about a quarter of the way up before his boot gets caught on something and he can’t dislodge it. The fog rolls on, passing just underneath his feet.

Swage, now a safer distance away, pulls out the spyglass and tries to look at the cloud. The eye that he had used to look through it is stricken temporarily blind.

A few more minutes pass as the fog continues to roll through the area before it starts to sink back into the ground and disappear.

Swage makes his way back towards the area and begins to check on the people near him. Their condition is very similar to the bodies in Seidan. Their eyes are open, and he can hear and feel their heartbeat.

Dove goes from person to person and tries to put them in more comfortable positions if possible.

Not much later a group of guards run into the area, the one who seems to be in charge starts to direct the others to carry the bodies away on stretchers.

“Don’t bury these ones, we were like this once,” Swage says

“And if you’ve buried any other ones you need to dig ‘em up,” Kaz says

“They’re not dead yet,” Pele adds

“Like what once?” Hadwin says looking at Swage

Dove gives Hadwin a quick rundown about what happened to the group Seidan.

“Is this shit gonna happen to me?” Hadwin says nervously

“Did you breathe any of the gas in?” Pele asks

“No, did y’all breath the gas in before you died?” Hadwin asks

“We don’t know, we were told we did but we don’t know for sure,” Pele answers

“Could have had a nice dinner at the guildhall,” Hadwin mutters turning away to investigate the cloud further.

Hadwin reaches out to the residue left behind by the gas with some of his own magic power. He is immediately hit with a spike of magic stunning him temporarily. He sees an image of an endless desert full of shadows and then his mind clears.

Pele begins to search the surrounding area for any thoughts not coming from the party or any of the unconscious people. She’s able to hear one side of a conversation that appears to be talking about the events that just transpired.

“Yes, everything went well,” the voice says

“The experiment is moving along as planned. Soon they’ll be deposited at the church.” The voice continues

The voice begins to fade as if the person having the conversation begins to walk away.

The group approaches the lead guard and asks if they can be of any assistance. The guard declines politely saying they have everything well in hand now.

“We do have direct experience with this condition. How many times have you seen this fog come through?” Swage asks

“This is the third time now,” the guard answers

“Does it get worse each time?” Swage asks

“It seems to be constant actually, it comes from different areas though. This time it came from that water, the other two times it came from Elmgate and the park,” the guard says

“What did you do with the people affected before?” Swage asks

“Unfortunately, we only have one cemetery and one church to do last rites and funerals, that’s where we sent them,” the guard says

“You’ve already buried the people who have passed from this fog?” Pele asks stunned

“Yes,” the guard says

“You do realize all their hearts are still beating right?” Swage asks grabbing the guard’s hand and placing it on an unconscious man’s chest.

“There’s no heartbeat,” the guard says

“Is there someone that we can speak to regarding this? Because we've seen this in a previous area and the people aren't dead? It's a magical ailment, they’re technically cursed,” Pele asks

“The only person that I could think of that you could talk to Xander, they’re the head priest at the church, but I don't know if they’ll know anything I don’t.” the guard answers

The party makes their way back to the guildhall planning to wake early so they can check out the excavated temple as soon as possible. Swage makes a pit stop at the forge located under the hall and works out a deal with the blacksmith to let him use the forge while the group is in town. On his way back up from the forge Swage sees Cassandra and Eogham coming out through the doors that lead to the guild master’s office, he waves them down.

“Yes? Swage wasn’t it?” Cassandra says

“Correct,” Swage says nodding

“Yes, you were making something with the tongue of that weird creature?” Cassandra asks

“Yeah. A froghemoth tongue-whip,” Swage says

“Try saying that five times fast,” Cassandra says with a grin

“I couldn’t even say it one time slow,” Swage says smiling back

“Quite disgusting, but interesting. What can I do for you?” She asks

“Were you aware of another cloud incident?” Swage asks

“Yes, unfortunately. That’s what we were just talking to the guild master about, he really wants us to start investigating the area. Once you guys go, the rest of the guild members will setup a perimeter to make sure no one gets in or out, and to make sure you have our full support.” Cassandra explains

“We’ve experienced the same thing before, farther north in Seidan,” Swage says

“Interesting. Well since your alive and here does that mean you found a way to stop it or prevent it?” Cassandra asks hopefully

“We defeated it I guess because we were dead and now, we’re not,” Swage says

“Did someone revivify you? Or wish you back somehow?” she asks

“Not that I know of. We were dead and then woke up on cold stone slabs and then we were told we were to be sacrificed,” Swage says

“Well, it is kind of a backward town out in the middle of nowhere. But we all better get to bed we’ve got a busy day tomorrow,” Cassandra says

Eogham taps Cassandra on the shoulder and begins to move her hands in, what appears to Swage, to be very fast random gestures.

“Yes, I understand,” Cassandra says moving her hands as well

Back outside Pele leaves the carriage to take a walk and clear her head and Dove volunteers to go with her. As they walk Pele tries to sense any other thoughts nearby but comes up empty.

“That voice I heard about an experiment going as planned HAS to do with the green cloud. And the only person that we know of that really does experiments and was near Seidan during that green cloud was…” Pele says

“Zertis,” Dove says finishing her sentence

“Yeah,” Pele says

“Where do you think he is now? Do you think he’s being a jerk somewhere else?” Dove asks

“Probably. He could be the one causing the clouds, working for the Astral God, or whatever that thing on the mountain working for the god was,” Pele says

The two friends walk for a bit longer, before returning to the guildhall.

Holly, Swage, Kaz, and Hadwin all stay in the guildhall each picking their own bunk. Pele and Dove choose to sleep in Estafador’s carriage.

## Day Eighteen, Morning

In the morning Holly, Swage, Kaz, and Hadwin awaken to the smell of cooking breakfast coming in from the guildhall’s kitchen. Pele and Dove are woken up by the carriage door banging open and Estafador staggering in.

“Hi! I did not expect you all to be here,” he says

“Did you have a good night? Pele asks

“Good morning!” Dove says happily

“Oh, is it morning?” Estafador says rubbing his temples

“It is,” Pele says

“For us,” Dove continues

“Well, let's try not to talk so loud,” Esafador says climbing into bed

Back inside the guildhall the rest of the group is in line getting breakfast. As they set down to eat Pele and Dove enter and Pele starts to try and get the group headed out the door.

“Take it to go!” she shouts grabbing a piece of bread, “Gotta’ go, take it to go!”

“We can wait and eat,” Hadwin says tiredly

“Nuh-huh, the dead won’t rest,” Pele says

“They’re already resting,” Hadwin counters

“Yeah, but they’re resting underground and they’re still alive. So that’s a small concern,” Pele retorts

“They aren’t going anywhere, what does it matter?” Holly asks

The group starts to head for the temple with a small detour to Karvas’ shop to pick up Kaz’s newly enchanted war hammer. Hadwin is being pulled along by Pele, a plate of food still in hand, as he tries to eat without dropping anything.

Realizing they’ve forgotten to tell Eogham that they were leaving, Dove runs back to the guildhall to get her. She spots Cassandra in line food table and approaches her.

“Good morning,” Dove says

“Good morning…cute fluffy person,” Cassandra says trying to remember Dove’s name

“I’m sorry I’m terrible with names,” Cassandra says hurriedly

“Cute fluffy person is okay with me,” Dove says “Anyway, where’s Eogham? We’re heading to the temple now.”

“Oh, yes. If you want, I can go and get her.” Cassandra

“If you don’t mind,” Dove says

“I’ll also get the guild to start setting up the perimeter as well,” Cassandra says as she runs off

Cassandra returns to the line and starts to hurriedly grab some food off the table.

“Eogham will be in shortly,” she says

A few minutes late Eogham enters the room pulling on the last of her armor and grabbing some food as well. The group makes their way through the Smokeknot district and into the North Town area of Midward. Once there they enter an area of the city that seems to have been left untouched by buildings and has been left to nature. They make their way into a small, forested area and arrive at an overgrown temple at the center.

At the center of the temple is a giant statue and six pillars, three on either side of the crumbled walls of the temple still stand. There is a raised area at the front of the temple, three intact sarcophagi off to the side of the raised area, and a set of stairs leading underneath the temple where the group first entered.

Eogham approaches the large statue and places her hand on it. She bows her head as if in prayer and then continues into the area.

Swage attempts to detect magic in the area and the raised area at the front of the temple lights up.

Pele listens for any more thoughts and can’t detect any that seem out of place.

Holly inspects the stonework in the area and concludes that it's not of Dwarven design. He is still impressed with the quality of the work though, even if it isn’t dwarven.

Swage warns the group about the magic on the stairs leading to the raised area and Pele tosses a ball bearing onto them, they don’t seem to react, however. Hadwin has Koko start to climb the stairs, and nothing seems to happen either.

Kaz investigates the three sarcophagi, they all appear to belong to royalty. One of the effigies shows a man holding crossed daggers, however, one of them appears to be missing. Kaz borrows a dagger from Holly, but it doesn’t appear to fit. He notices that the stone that the other dagger is made of looks almost like black glass.

Suddenly, the smell of decay begins to waft through the area. Eogham draws her great sword and grabs the symbol around her neck. Her face hardens and she begins to walk towards the stairs leading down into the temple.

Kaz, seeing Eogham draw her weapon, and smelling the same smell draws his war hammer and begins to follow behind her.