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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Nthal" data-source="post: 7640340" data-attributes="member: 6971069">A Final Kiss of Mercy – Part 1 - 7/25/2019A Final Kiss of Mercy – Part 1 When you are young, it is easy to laugh at death.  To face it brazenly and with bravado.  To boast about cheating it with friends and laughing with drinks afterwards.  We are quick to deny it’s hold and smile knowingly with our comrades that death is thing to be beaten, and that immortality can be won. When you are old, it is easy to welcome death, the peace it grants after the toils of your labors.  You made it to the end of the game and can look back at all the great things you have done, smile and move on. It is hard when you feel your labors are incomplete, young or old.  It is hard to invite death in for some tea when you truly want more life.  It is hard to just let it go. And sometimes the only choice we get, is how.  If we get that choice at all. I sat there shivering in the cold, early morning light listening.  Most of the time after anti-peak involved the sounds of yapping hyenas in the distance.  They were too close for my tastes, but Foggle was an asset here.  Beepu realized that Foggle could understand us just fine, so he instructed his familiar to follow some basic instructions about scouting around our campsite, and to make sound if there were trouble.  I used it a couple of times when the howling and yipping got close, but Foggle didn’t make a sound.  So, I suppose shivering in the cold was a bit better than having a fight with any wandering packs.The light of the early morning was a deep crimson, scattered across a solid gloom of clouds.  It seemed fitting out here with gnolls wandering about.  I stood and stretched my cramping legs, all the while trying to keep my arms and torso covered with the woolen blanket I had.  I felt on edge for some reason.  I wanted to get moving, but the humans were going to need a bit more light to travel safely. But since the reddish light was growing, I turned to Foggle and said, “Well we have some better light.  Go up a bit and see if you see anything interesting.” Foggle blinked with its mechanical eyes, and with a hop, spread its wings and silently circled upwards.  As it did so I finished stretching and started to pack up my simple lean-to.  Almost fourteen days here, so little of it in a proper bed.  Not even a proper bath in that time.  I shouldn’t complain; I’ve had less.  But it doesn’t mean I liked it.Suddenly there was a flurry of wind and wings, and Foggle landed on top of a small boulder near me.  I was a little surprised as most of the time it was utterly silent.  But it became clear it was trying to get my attention.  It stared at me, and then turned its body.  Its head twisted to keep a level gaze with my own while it turned.  Then, the body stopped, and both wings flapped and stretched, pointing to the north east. “I’m guessing you found something then, Foggle.  But not a threat?”I pause a moment, and then move to Beepu’s tent.  I reach in and found his body and shook him saying, “Hey, have a dark here.  What did Foggle find?”From within I heard, “Wha...what?  One moment.  Interesting!” and a bedraggled Beepu emerged, looking for his familiar.  Seeing it on the rock, he cocked his head and then said.“He has seen something…odd.”“Odd?  That’s a bit vague.”“He is fairly smart, but he usually lacks context.  Seems in this case that he has found someone.  Someone that is not a gnoll and that he does not see as threatening.”“And he wants us to take a look?”“He is advising that we should.  I tend to agree.  Afterall a person out here might have information.”“Beyond ‘keep away from gnolls’ I’m not sure what barkle they might have.”“It is on the way, it will take little time and we might learn something.”“Fine.  Let’s get the others up.”We rouse the brothers, who were still tired from the midwatch in the evening. They rubbed their eyes and quickly equipped their gear, as Beepu and I finished packing up our things and assisted with the other items in camp.  Mo oddly enough was still sleeping, so Iesa made a kind of nest inside his pack near the top, so the monkey could continue sleeping.  It wasn’t long before we were ready to move and follow the oddity that Foggle had found. It was farther than I thought it would be; the first light must have given some clarity to Foggle’s sight.  it must have been almost a mile before we reached another depression in the plain.  As we approached, I saw the circle of carrion birds overhead, and I dreaded what we would find.It was similar to the charnel pit we found before, but the grass had already been burned to ash on the ground.  Some standing stones were scattered around, perhaps fifteen in all.  There were four large piles of bone.  Each was a mixture of blackened ones by fire and bleached by the sun.  The piles surrounded another crude altar to the Tanar’ri lord.  On top of the altar I could see the remains of a body sprawled on top of it.  There were wisps of smoke from what must have been a pyre behind the altar, its fires long since spent.   But while the fire burned low, there was a pervasive sense of dread.  A foul energy hung in the air, like a weight on my chest, making me labor to breathe.Looking about I frowned; what did Foggle see?  There was nothing here to—And then I saw it.  On the altar I could see an arm start to flail wildly.  Whoever lay upon that foul plinth was still fighting for his life.  From their mouth came noises; not of a normal person in pain, but a soul being wrenched and twisted. I wasn’t clear on what was happening to the figure on the altar.  I was clear that it was a trap.  No gnolls, no hyenas, a victim left alone.  The dark wasn’t that it was a trap, it was only what would springing the trap bring onto us. We looked at each other a moment.  There were no words spoken.  We slowly made our way down towards the altar.  Daneath drew his sword, then he and I took the lead.  Iesa pulled out his bow and notched an arrow, and with Beepu followed a distance behind us.  And the sight as we grew closer filled me with grave concern.  The figure was a male human, dressed in shredded and bloodied robes.  His face was covered in blood.  It wasn’t splashed randomly, but it was painted on with random shapes across his forehead cheeks and neck.  His right arm was bound to the altar, but his left had wormed its way from the bonds and was thrashing.  As he thrashed, he shouted incoherently:“Fargh’tan!  Gajhstkrin anjaztz konat Yeenoghu.  Fargh’tan, Fragh’tan” The language was Abyssal, and while I only knew some words from that hideous language, the grim fact that he was shouting the Tanari’ri lords name did not bode well. As we reached his side, I could smell the strong scent of rot.  As I looked over the figure, I saw the cause.  Both of his legs above the knee were missing, the bone visibly splintered.  The rent flesh wept blood and discolored pus on the stone and tattered remains of his robes.  The sight was so familiar of another time.I closed my eyes to the grotesque display in front of me.  I had seen this before.  Smelled this before.  Five years ago.  The only difference was the man was screaming in Abyssal, instead of planar common.  I was shocked out of my reverie by Beepu behind me:“I know that man!”At that point bursting from two of the pile of bones flanking the altar came, monstrous figures.  They weren’t skeletons, but instead a horrific effigy of bones knitted together to create large hulking figures now bearing down at us.“Oh sodding—” was all I had time to say as the abominations bore down on Daneath and I.  Daneath stood his ground and the thing swung a knotted mass of bone, knocking away his shield and allowing his second arm to swing and impact Daneath hard in the chest.   Daneath sank to a knee and out of the corner of my eye I saw him tremble as he attempted to put up his sword to shield him from the next blow.I was expecting that the thing would react like the witherlings, and that the second one would turn away with that shuddering feeling and attack someone else.  But the strange resonance wasn’t there, and it swung, connecting with my shield.  I used the blow’s momentum to spin away from it second swing which missed me completely.Behind me I heard Iesa fire his arrow into my opponent, piercing it deep somewhere in its torso.  That was followed by a blast of fire from Beepu, striking it where a person’s abdomen would be.I turned to look at Daneath; he was cowering behind his shield, unable to act rationally. “This is not the time,” I shouted.  I took a step towards Daneath and flexed.  I could feel the rushing surge up my spine, and I felt the flare of my personal energy burst forth into my hand, causing my ‘wings’ to flare visibly.  I quickly laid it on Daneaths shoulder and felt a brief moment of resistance.  Then it suddenly faded.And Daneath reacted, yelling in anger as he swung his blade into the arm of an incoming blow.  I heard the cracking of bone, and saw the balled fist deflected away from Daneath.   But it was the second fist that connected solidly with his shield and I watched Daneath stagger with the blow.That distraction of watching Daneath was one I could ill-afford.  The other one slipped past my guard and I felt the its balled fist hit me in the ribs.  I yelped in pain and pulled some energy from the dark strand, causing a skeletal hand to appear and grasp the things neck.  I watched bones break and turn to dust as I kept focusing on it.“TWANG” and an arrow careens wildly into the grass and I hear Iesa swear something.“You must focus!” I heard Beepu yell, and another bolt of fire hit the one facing me.  The bones creaked and smell of scorched bone permeated the air.  Meanwhile, Daneath swung and connected with his opponent, sending a shower of bone shards flying.    But as hard as he hit it, it looked unharmed.This wasn’t good.Daneath and I stood side by side, with our shields up.  As one of them swung down to hit me, I defected it.  Daneath did much the same and was able to riposte the strike, chipping away at what resembled a ribcage woven by drunken spiders.  While he was landing strikes, they didn’t seem to even slow it down.I heard Iesa’s bow again and another arrow hit the one in front of me, connecting solidly in the arm.  But it wasn’t enough to prevent it from swinging at me again, and I took a grazing hit, while I was able to use my shield to roll with the blow on the second strike.  I reached out again with the dark strand and I felt the energy connect.  I felt the energy that held the thing together shatter, and the monstrosity collapsed into a heap of decaying, scorched bone.The second one was having challenges now trying to land a blow on our warrior.  But as it tried, arrow and flame struck at its midsection.  It staggered briefly at the new attack, but its focus never left Daneath.  It beat down on the warrior’s shield, providing another opening and Daneath thrust deep into its body.  Of course, there was no blood, only the splinters from the bone and not a great amount of that either.  I changed tactics and using the light strand, I threw a bolt of purple energy at it, striking it in what might have called the head.  Iesa’s arrow finally connected with it, sinking deep in the upper body so the fletching wasn’t even visible now.These things didn’t moan or scream.  The only sound we heard was the sound of bone creaking and scrapping across each other as it moved, or the sounds of the brothers’ weapons chipping away at it.  Daneath held his ground as it pounded at the large man, who tried to bat them away and reply in kind with this sword.  But one landed a solid blow again, causing the warrior’s knees to buckle, and then he fell.I again throw a purple blast of energy at it and watched as another arrow found its mark.  But it was a blast from Beepu that brought the pile of bone down into a smoldering heap on the ground.  As it fell, the human stopped its tirade and fell quiet.We waited a moment in the new stillness, expecting more things to jump out the piles of bones.  When nothing occurred, I moved over to Daneath and poured a little light into him.  He responded with a groan and pulled himself slowly to his feet.  I then looked at the dying man and found my voice again;“Iesa, help me lift this man,” as a ran over to him, I drew out a dagger and started to cut the bonds holding his right arm.“Sure thing, but where…are we going?” he replied as he grasped the man’s left side and with me on his right and together, we lifted the now unconscious figure upright between us.“Back to where we camped?  Anywhere but here,”“Back then,” Daneath said looking around as we ran, as Iesa and I carried out the gnolls’ victim.“Beepu,” I panted.  “Mind explaining who this guy is?”“Yes!  Gregor here was a colleague in Candlekeep.” He said excitedly.“Candlekeep?” I asked“It is a massive library on the edge of the Sword Coast.  Perhaps the largest one of its kind in the world”“You don’t say,” I grunted as Iesa and I carried the limp torso back towards our prior night’s spot.“Yes.  He was a member of another school there.  I have not seen him in years.”“So,” Daneath asked as he twisted around looking for foes as we made our way back.  “What is he doing here of all places?”“And what is this that horrible smell coming from him?” Iesa asked“I have not the foggiest idea why he is here.  We will have to ask him.”“The smell is rot, and it’s probably killing him.  Back to camp, talk there,” I grunted as we moved the unconscious torso out of the foul altar’s pit.We backtracked and made our way back to last night’s campsite.   Iesa and I were winded by the time we got there with the man.  Beepu quickly spread out a bed roll, and Iesa and I gingerly lowered him to the ground, so I could see what could be done.Underneath the blood markings, the man’s skin was very pale, his breathing shallow.  I had felt the tremors wracking through him as we carried him, and he shivered as he lay there on the ground.  I knew he was feverish as I could feel the heat when I carried him, and I suspected he was in bad shape.I knelt next to him and I peeled away some of the robe away from his legs and more of the nauseating smell polluted the air.  I pressed gently on his abdomen and found it distended and taut.  He was bloated, and it was clear that the rot had set in deep within his bowls.  The man was on death’s door, and I was surprised that it had not taken hold yet.  I then remembered a tale I heard drinking in the Bottle and Jug that gnolls weren’t born; they were made from their foes.Could that be happening here I wondered?  That night it was a story.  This day it was a possible reality.  A grim one.As I examined the man for other injuries, the man’s eyes fluttered open, and he started a wracking cough.  He looked at us confused at first and then his eyes settled on the gnome.“Bee…Bee..Beepu?” he sounded incredulous as he spoke haltingly.“Yes, it is I.  What are you doing here Gregor?”Gregor leaned his head back and closed his eyes.  His breathing was labored.  Daneath put a bedroll under his head, while I uncorked a waterskin and touched it to his lips.  The man reached up and grasped at the skin and swallowed repeatedly.  Finally, he lay it back against his side, mouthing the word “Thanks.”“Gregor,” Beepu asked again intently.“Looking…for…artifacts.” He stammered.“Artifacts?” Beepu asked staring at him intently.The figure nodded, “Yes…the Elks…buried…many things at…Flint Rock.”Iesa and Daneath looked at each other, “Flint Rock?” Iesa asked suspiciously.  “What do you know of Flint Rock?”“A grave…blocked by a…door.  The door…is a…game.  Either you open it…or…or…it takes…your life.” Gregor stammered.Beepu sat on the other side of the man and grasped his robes, “You were not alone.  Who else?” he demanded.“An…Avowed named Chriton…and four appren…tices.  Including my…self.”“And, where are they?” Daneath asked.“The door…won.  Took their lives.  Tired…so…tired…” and the man looked like he was near to passing out. “How far is this door?” Iesa asked, as he pulled out his map with the markings.“Not…far..from…here.  Half..a..day,” and he closed his eyes and lay there breathing heavily.We silently looked at each other for some time.  Then Beepu spoke first:“Well, lets head back to town,” he said.“What?  We are almost there, and you want to go back?” Iesa said.“We cannot let him die here!” He exclaimed.“Beepu,” I said softly.  “He’s almost done.  He has the stink of rot, and it has already settled into his organs.  He has almost no blood.  And it seems that may be cursed to…”“To what?” Iesa asked apprehensively.“To turn into a gnoll,” I finished.“All the more reason for us to head to town.  Its his best chance to—”I looked upwards for guidance I guessed.  But upon doing so, I realized we had a new problem circling above us.“Beepu.  I can’t give him legs,” I started.  “I can’t cure the rot and keep it away.  There is a flock of carrion birds above us that is going to attract gnolls from everywhere.  He isn’t going to make it, and we might not either if we try.”“We cannot just leave him to die.” Beepu exclaimed.“What else can we do?” Iesa said puzzled.“Myr is right.  All we can do is give him a clean death.” Daneath said.Beepu whirled and confronted Daneath, “We cannot do that!  We can save him.  We should save him.”As the three fell to arguing, stayed kneeling besides Gregor holding his hand.  This was so familiar to me.  It was only five years ago during the Faction War.  An eternity ago.  But I remembered it clearly…Session notes:This was an argument.  I would say the argument took longer than the encounter itself did.  It was one of things I did like about this campaign.  Nothing was ever morally straightforward.  3,931</blockquote>

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