54/1st/51be
Taking stalk of events the party notes they are all standing and 3 blighted women lay at their feet. As Sieg and Dex attempt to pull daggers from inside thier necrotic flesh, Jaspyr makes a discovery of a different sort. Two of the featureless porcelain masks of the blight witches lay in shards, likely pierced by the arrows of Aranel. However the third, yes the third is still intact. Jaspyr looks closely at the woman laying without consciousness and sees that her blight tendrils have woven themselves into the mask, making it as much a part of her face as her eyes or nose. Pulling out his argent blade Jaspyr begins to cut the tendrils from the mask. They sizzle and pop, snap and recoil from the silvered weapon as the mask slowly peels away. The woman beneath is beautiful, such a shame such beauty perverted to such horrible means. They gather the rest of their things, the mask and a few of the blighted witches cloaks of crimson and orange and make way to investigate the chain gang.
We are here to help
Even with the best intentions some things can still go horribly horribly wrong. Approaching the chained humans, orcs and dwarf the party makes their intentions well known. Met with equal parts horror, intrigue and obedience the party makes contact. These prisoners are bound together by chain, all single file and pillaged from different nomadic tribes from the burning plains. The humans explain that their bonds are only accessible by the sisters' ability to phase through the locks to unlock its sealed mechanisms. The orcs grunt and spit their language at the would be saviours while their leader is bound with a type of mussel as well as his hands bound. The humans explain that he is likely a war priest with an arcane manipulating tongue.
Sieg continues to calm the crowd as some of the humans tell him the knowledge that there is a dragon born tribe that roams the northern most parts of the burning plains.
Desperation coupled with fleeting time motivate Dex to experiment with the Sisters' mask. He believes it will grant him their ability to phase through objects and remove the bonds that imprison the captives. As he brings the mask closer to his face his blight tendrils reach and stretch to pull the mask snug to his face. A whole new world is laid before Dex as his perceptions are completely changed. He has no sight, however in the darkness the roiling energies of the living illuminate them beautifully and gracefully. Also their is a sense with the blight creep, a sense that he perceives for the first time perhaps because his is blinded. He can detect slightly, as if they are shadows, his comrades. And the hunger, the hunger my god it is enhanced and hard to control with this evil thing attached to his face. However, Dex remains strong, if not aware of his fleeting time. Searching from within, Dex manages to activate the inate ability to phase, clumsily however and phases up to his chest in the ground. The others manage to pull him free and Dex tries again, this time with more control. He phases through a shield as a test. Next he tries to free one of the humans. Phasing through the lock Dex can almost feel the mechanism and with some trying manages to keep his fingertips phased to manipulate the inner mechanism while his arm passes through its outer barrier. Dex deftly releases the poor captive amongst a short lived shower of praise.
Looking upon the now freed human, his essence changing colour with the new prospect of being freed, Dex looses himself to the increasing hunger. He can't take it any more and lunges for the human. Sieg and Aranel try to stop him but as Sieg tries to reposition himself Dex breaks free of his grasp. He grabs the Human and bites his arm in twain. Screaming and fear boil over as Sieg and Jaspyr manage to subdue Dex. Dex looses consciousness and Jaspyr cuts the mask from his face.
Sieg manages to calm the chain gang and stabilize the wounds of the human cauterizing his stump of an arm. A terrible price to pay in such troubling times. Varaxis decides their must be an easier way, perhaps the warpriest can help. Varaxis removes the mussel from Rekvar'thra and explains to him in broken Orcish the situation. Rekvar'thra begins to chant and spell that is almost as a song dripping off of his Orcish tongue. With some effort Rekvar'thra loosens the bonds and the fall unbound to the ground from the chained captives. After a further exchange Varaxis is told of the nearby temple of Pelor known as Karnak which the party is seemingly headed towards. “A very dangerous place for blighted” they warn as the party takes heed. After further talk Varaxis limited understanding of Orcish grammar and context leads to insult. The party will get no quarter should they run into Orc kind again.
What pretty cloaks
The party continues through the night towards the maps navigation. After a few hours they see a large blight bringer on the horizon, the party decides to give it a wide birth and skirts around the large mass of tendrils. Again off in the distance more blight beings and the party worries they may be spied and again tries to arc away from the encampment. Just then ahead of them the party is approached by more 'Sisters'. The party is quick to tell the sisters not to attack Varaxis, as tasty as he may seem for they are on a “mission” of some importance. The Sisters explain that they should follow them to speak with “the mother” if Varaxis is so important. However Dex dismisses this notion and convinces them of a higher purpose. One sister asks if they have seen their new recruits and another group of sisters bringing them. The party lies horribly to the sisters as 2 of them are wearing their very same cloaks. After more intimidation and wheeling and dealing Dex manages to convince the sisters to allow them to pass anyhow. And forward they go.
Light, such brilliant light
As they progress the party sees a beaming and otherworldly light emanating on the horizon. Karnak! “Lets go around” Dex says, their is no place for blighted in a temple for the god of the sun. Varaxis speaks up, The map is pointing directly at Karnak. Whatever it is they seek, it lies somewhere within that Temple. Aranel finds the party a decent spot to camp for the day as Karnac is blight creepless and bathed in daylight, even before sunrise somehow. During the day Dex discovers that he can tune into the blight creep to perceive his surroundings. With effort Dex believes the party can use it to communicate eventually and he attempts to instruct the others how to use it. During 3rd watch 6 figures approach wearing the same colours and cloaks as the sisters. However these beings are indeed alive still and not blighted.
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