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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mahiro Satsu" data-source="post: 305114" data-attributes="member: 4970">Episode XIII Into the Woods part 6From the Journal of Aoth Sepret27th of Ches, Year of Rogue DragonsWe spent the early morning hours in meditation under the influence of special incense that Kaemris brought forth. He promised us that our spells would be stronger for it.As a group we headed for the Chapel hoping to kill Henwen first so she could not bring the Hobyahs into the fight or alert Dyson to the alliance.Artemus took to the air in hawk form again to investigate Ossington. Before we reached the Chapel he returned and told us that the village was empty. Cautiously we approached the chapel but it was also empty.Lenet passed me a potion of invisibility so that she and I could flank the village and surprise anyone who attacked us, but the plan changed radically when Kaemris charged into the stones surrounding Ossington and called out a challenge to Dyson. Quickly I drank the potion and followed him in, meaning to protect him. I cast a spell to enhance my next attack so that I could be sure to drop whomever I struck. From all around us villagers armed with clubs and pitchforks emerged from the houses. Van took up a firing position behind one of the stones and knocked an arrow. Lenet must have taken her potion too, for I could not see her. Artmeus landed on a house nearby.From the house in front of Kaemris emerged Henwen. I let fly an acid arrow into her heart, ending my invisibility. She staggered but did not fall. Then the villagers attacked. I was surrounded. I drew my sword and sickle, and hoped to die a noble death protecting my leader. A strange sound carried over the shouting and clanging of weapons. The Cuckoo was singing to inspire the villagers. Tully appeared out of the crowd behind me, and a giant wolf appeared by magic in front of me. I was sorely pressed to keep its jaws away from my throat but it did bite my leg, and judging from the fountain of blood it hit an artery.From the top of the house I could see that Artemus had turned into his human form and was chanting loudly. Out of the sky came a tremendous column of fire that roasted Henwen and several villagers. The crazy woman would summon no more hobyahs ever again.Stonegroan’s missiles fell into the fray dropping villagers but soon it was silenced as Van drew his sword to protect himself from the groups that had flanked him. Kaemris said a prayer and lifted out of the mob’s reach, flying several feet over them. My sword and sickle lashed out at the wolf in front of me, but it would not fall. Lenet appeared behind Tully and took a swipe at her. I could see the Cuckoo wading into the fray behind the wolf. I was beginning to get dizzy from my mounting wounds. I am no warrior.It was then that Artemus’s second spell went off around me, its magical flames destroying the wolf, several villagers, and setting the Cuckoo on fire. Only my superior reflexes saved me, as I dove out of harm's way. Villagers rushed in to fill the gaps Artemus’s spell created and I was not quick enough to avoid a vicious hit with the club. I fell to the ground, my life blood running rivers in the dry earth.Although I was down, I could still see, and what I saw frightened me. The Cuckoo was changing. His head elongated, his back stiffened, and he grew in size. Giant leathery wing sprouted from his back and he screamed in pain. The Cuckoo was a Vrock. I feared my friends would join me.A body fell on me, and I guessed that Lenet had killed Tully. Kaemris flew about trying to find a way for us to win, and I could hear Van cursing as he fought. Either Kaemris or Artemus called upon an elemental to aid in the fight. Its powerful form ripped into villagers killing many. But the battle seemed to be going badly. I was down, Van must have been taking hits, Lenet sounded pained. Kaemris’s face was a mask of rage. He stopped his flight before the Vrock, and held his staff high.“Tymora send you back where you came from, demon. Bother us no more,” he said in a loud, booming and confidant voice. With a look of pure horror the Vrock erupted in a fountain of flame and was gone. With the Vrock’s song ended and its presence gone, the villagers took flight, those who remained. Dyson must have been about though, because Kaemris’s flight ended prematurely and he fell to the ground. The departure of the vrock enabled Artemus to come to my aid. When my strength returned, I looked around and saw Lenet's torn body on the ground next to me. There was nothing we could do for her; she was gone.We ran to the tower in the center of town. The elemental broke the door with one powerful blow, and we rushed in looking for Dyson. He was not here. We ran up the stairs into his bedroom but could not see him. Up another flight of stairs into a study we ran and found a trap door in the ceiling. The elemental struck but the door would not move. Kaemris created a dimensional door to the level above and threw Artemus and myself through it. We emerged through the door onto the roof of the tower. Immediately a storm of magic missiles struck me in the chest, and I responded with my own. We had found Dyson. Artemus summoned a sphere of flame and it burned the wizard badly. Kaemris, beyond reason, leaped forward and brought his staff down upon Dyson’s head. Everything went black as Dyson created a globe of magical darkness around us. I drew my rapier and struck, but it met only air. Artemus’s flaming sphere burned the life out of Dyson, and with its caster dead the magical darkness disappeared. I almost laughed when I saw Kaemris on the ground in the fetal position sobbing. No matter how powerful the man might be, he needs to get over his fear of the dark…I noticed that the wizard, his clothes burned to ash, had a small tail.We left the roof only to find the Dyson's study below us in flames, probably started by the elemental. Quickly we found Dyson’s journal and raced from the tower just as it collapsed, its supports burned away. Sitting around the campfire tonight, nursing our wounds, Kaemris read the journal to us. Dyson and Henwen had discovered the secret of the stones. Together, with the help of the Cuckoo, they had used the stone’s power to transform animals into human-like shapes. Sometimes they replaced entire families at a time. Then one day the Paladin showed up, and fearing discovery sent Tully to watch him. When he figured out the evil plan, Tully ambushed and killed the noble warrior, removing the head so he could not be easily resurrected. Fire claimed the rest of the journal so we can only guess at what he intended to do with his army of faux-humans.</blockquote>

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