Rot and Bone

## Player Characters

* Cauter
	+ Innocent fire genasi hexlight cleric

* Merist
	+ High elf historian wizard with mysterious tome

## Notable NPCs

* Macy
	+ A village lead of Bankside Hollow who sent Cauter out on a hunting trip who succumbed to the unfortunate fate of becoming a monster

* McAdam Family
	+ A family who resided in Bankside Hollow who succumbed to the unfortunate fate of becoming monstrosities

* Cameron
	+ A produce store owner in Bankside Hollow who succumbed to the unfortunate fate of becoming a monster
* Carter
	+ The blacksmith's son who resided in Bankside Hollow and succumbed to the unfortunate fate of becoming a monster

* Fowler
	+ A neighborhood kid who wanted to be an adventurer and leave the village one day that lived in Bankside Hollow but succumbed to the unfortunate fate of becoming a monster
* Alisha
	+ A village lead of Bankside Hollow who was also a herbalist but succumbed to the unfortunate fate of becoming a monster after trying to help heal a mysterious visitor in the village inn

## Pitch

When the villagers of Bankside Hollow took in the haggard refugee who stumbled out of the Centrafiel Wastes, they did so out of the kindness of their hearts.

When they woke up the next morning to broken screams and half-formed wails of pain, they rushed to the homes of friends and family, adding their own screams to the cacophony when they found their loved ones bloated and mutilated with hundreds of deformed growths that rendered them more piles of unrecognizable flesh than human.

When they put those poor souls out of their misery and buried the corpses across the river, they had no way of knowing that the contagion that had brought on such devastation had spread to the gravediggers and healers. And that no heaping of hallowed earth would hold back the determined digging upwards of undead flesh.

When they were set upon in the night by former friends, now dripping with bile and blood and crawling on unrecognizable appendages, they stood no chance. The town was no more, its inhabitants reduced to revolting shadows of their former selves.

That is, of course, except for a hunting party sent out days before, all now returning home expecting warm meals and welcoming embraces from family and friends. What they will find instead ... is not for the faint of heart.

## Summary

The party met each other on their separate way towards Bankside Hollow, Cauter who was returning from a three day hunt, and Merist who was simply passing by on his journey towards the Copper City. The two decided to tag team as Merist decided to rest at Bankside Hollow for the day and Cauter attempted to convert Merist into the cult/religion of Hexlight.

They quickly reached the village. Though It is almost night time, yet as they wonde through the village, they see no light sheds through window, no smoke floates out of chinmey, no aroma emitted from cooking, and absolutely no sound from any sources. Eventually, as the two arrived at the empty house belonging to Macy who was the village elder who sent Cauter on her hunting trip. They then heard the first manmade sound they've heard in a while, apart from each other. Originating from the second floor is a tone, unfaimilar to Cauter and recognized by Merist as resembling some music belonging to the Godsingers, which is shocking as the Godsingers has been to this part of Aetherca for quite some time. Upon investigating the second floor, the two found a horrifying aberration monstrosity as the source of the tone. It recognized Cauter and claimed to be Macy, asking Cauter to join them to which Cauter countered asking if she (Macy) finally joined the Hexlight Church. Merist interrupted the talk with an unsuccessful spell attack as Macy crawls closer to Cauter. Noticing the hostility of whatever claimed to be Macy, Cauter joined Merist and the two quickly fled to ground level. Now fully realizing what has happened to the village, the two decided to hide at Cauter's home on the outskirt of the village for the night. Merist asked if this is normal for Cauter to which she replies no. He then asks what was different since Cauter left and Cauter replies about a mysterious outsider who arrived in need of rest the day she left to the woods.

Their dash towards Cauter's house was uneventful, yet thrilling. The two were not attacked, but traces of those aberrations were visible behind every wall, from the McAdams family house to Cameron's produce store which still said "Open". Once they reached their shelter for the night, Cauter was on high alert while Merist attempted to summon an familiar to scout the area, hoping to gather more information on the event. The attempt is foiled by a surprise attack by the monstrous remains of Carter and Fowler, so the duo quickly escaped by throwing an attempted flash bomb through a front window and then fleeing through the back window to make a run for the forest. The escape was a success and they were able to hide their traces, but Cauter tripped on the window out briefly allowing Fowler's remains to catch up. Cauter notes that he didn't seem to retain any parts of their original personality through a brief interaction, but finally getting away while telling the supposed Fowler to get a breath mint (due to decaying breath) as her leg got scraped.

Cauter recalls a nearby treehouse made by Fowler, one of the kids in her neighborhood who had a strong sense of adventure. It is there that the two try to plan and recuperate. Cauter takes note of spreading black veins on her leg from the injury obtained earlier and shares this knowledge with Merist. Finally, the pair came to the agreement that they would not see the light of the day again if they stay passive and formulated an offensive plan to hopefully resolve this situation. With the mysterious outsider being their only lead they choose the goal of going to the village inn to investigate but require a distraction: a large fire.

Afterward, they snuck to the front entrance of the village, where a wooden statue of Bankside Hollow's founder stood proud. Cauter lit the statue on fire with the candle from her priest's pack. Protecting his village one last time, the flaming founder took the attention of all the former villagers, allowing the two safe passage.

The two made their way back to the center plaza of the village, where a well stood at the center with the village inn on the North. Merist was able to deduce that there are three more powerful aberration inside the inn, but that the source of all these madness is inside the well and not the inn. Knowing they have no hope against all four monsters, the two came up with another distraction plan - a deck of playing card that's been lighted, then thrown to the East of the plaza, opposite from where they were. The plan worked as the three aberration, former village leads including Alisha, moved towards the flying lights. Meanwhile, the two rushed their way into the well, witnessing the true criminal of this tragedy - what seems to be a puddle of murky black water. Upon attacking it, a pile of black goo emerged from the water, engulfed in it is a silvery gauntlet, the source of the disaster.

Unable to withstand the attack from the goo, the two jump out of the well with the goo chasing closely after inflicting further damage on Cauter. Seeing no hope at defeating this goo, as a last ditch effort, Merist used mage hand to pull the gauntlet away.

It worked.

As the gauntlet landed in his hand, Merist loses his sight and can see nothing but darkness. Emerging from the darkness, a humanoid figure emerges. It explains that it is the gauntlet, and promises eternal life and a five hundred year worth of knowledge (also the ability to modify life itself?), should Merist choose to become its next wielder. Merist should be a strong wielder unlike the previous wielder who was the mysterious visitor from the Centrafiel Wastes. While tempted, Merist refused the offer staying true to logic, and is blasted away by a beam of energy from the angered gauntlet.

Now in Cauter's hand, Cauter receives a similar offer. Cauter first tries to get more information and learns that this figure wishes for destruction of those who betrayed him long ago. She says she's willing to help him recover because betrayal is mean, however she doesn't wish for more destruction. Then due to being close to death herself and still wishing to complete her bucket list, Cauter agrees on the terms that together they complete her bucket list and use their power to help others.

Upon receiving a new wielder, a wave of flesh burst from the gauntlet, submerging everything in the village. Merist was safe, Cauter's last bit of consciousness shielded him from the flesh so it only pushed him away, instead of consuming him.

Now, Merist stands beneath a new city. A city of Rot and Bone.

## Other Notes

* Cauter caught three rabbits on her hunting trip
* One of the things on Cauter's bucket list is visiting Eberron, home of the Hexlight main church
* Cauter had 2 hp at the end of the one shot and Merist had full hp