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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Jon Potter" data-source="post: 2438060" data-attributes="member: 2323">[PLAIN][Realms #315] All Manor of Trouble[/PLAIN]"You two have met?" Mellona asked, clearly taken aback by both Hildegunna's and Ledare's reactions to one another."Yes," Hildegunna responded quickly. "This woman begged my aid some moonsdances past. Of course, I gave it freely.""That was most charitable of you, sister," the Matriarch smiled and Ledare rubbed her forehead with her hand."You've got to be kidding me," she mumbled just loud enough for Hildegunna to hear and the woman shot her an icy glance."It is good that you are familiar with one another," Mellona went on. "It will make working together now all the easier. I charge you both with the task of returning Sister Shalamin to us. Further, Sister Hildegunna, it is your duty to heal these worthies as you can. And Faithful Daughter Ledare, you in turn must see that no harm comes to Sister Hildigunna.""I will do as you have asked, Mother Mellona," Hildegunna said with a respectful nod. Conflicting emotions warred across Ledare's face as she considered the high cleric's edicts."I think it is a mistake to send another of our order into harm's way," Ledare managed to say in place of: I don't want this woman traveling with me. Mellona smiled at her warmly."It is good of you to show such concern for your Benevolent Sister, but I think it particularly important to have a priestess of Flor along on this mission given the influence of the Filth Goddess in Miller's Pond," she said, laying a reassuring hand on Ledare's shoulder. "And I have every confidence in your ability to keep her from any harm, Faithful Daughter."Hildegunna gave Ledare an utterly insincere smile and the Janissary rolled her eyes."I will do as you have commanded, Holy Mother," Ledare told Mellona, struggling to maintain her much-vaunted calm.Later, Karak asked the Janissary how exactly she and Hildegunna had met, but Ledare didn't care to relive the incident, saying only, "We spent some time together in the sewers of Barnacus. This is starting to smell even worse."Earthday, the 25th - Starday, the 27th of Goodmonth, 1269 AEHuzair spent a full 24 hours riding in the wagon, burning incense and chanting incoherently so that he could summon a familiar. By the time they reached Miller's Pond, the wizard had a new magical helper: a hummingbird named Sparky.For their part of the journey, Ledare and Hildegunna did their best to stay out of each other's way and managed quite effectively to not speak to one another. Ledare had a particularly difficult time holding her tongue when Hildegunna swapped out her modest clerical robes for the more familiar - and far from modest - garb she had favored the last time Ledare had seen her. The blue teardrop holy symbol resting between her mostly-exposed breasts seemed nearly obscene to the Janissary, but she kept her thoughts to herself.Hildegunna had little to say in any case. She spoke with the males about her recent conversion to worship of Flor. It was apparently spurred by a visionquest she'd undertaken as soon as she'd left Barnacus. From the bits and pieces the cleric let drop, Ledare was able to surmise that Del had left Hildegunna at the same time he'd left her to undertake the King's mission on the Borderlands. The Janissary felt a secret joy at that news.Lela spent time flitting about, talking at length to anyone who would listen of her successes in the previous sojourn into Miller's Pond. Before too much of this nonstop chatter, that left only Wolf. "Hey, wasn't that great when I cast Entangle? And remember when I sprinkled the Dust of Confusion??? I'm amazing, aren't I?" she prattled, making more than a few ears yearn for Vade's return from the land of the dead. "How did you guys battle without me? Or was this your first battle too?"It was mid-afternoon when they finally reached the town, and they found it largely as they remembered it. The signs of their prior battle were unmistakable in the square although someone had gone to the trouble of removing the bodies of Sir Brin and his lackeys. The smell of death and corruption was more pronounced than it had been the last time - unsurprising given the numerous corpses secreted in the various buildings. Still, it was strong enough to make the horses skittish and cause several noses - Hildegunna's in particular - to curl with disgust."Why is it that every time I am in your company I smell sh*t?" the Benevolent Sister asked Ledare as she covered her mouth with her hand. They were the first words the woman had spoken to the Janissary since leaving Floxen."I didn't ask to babysit you," Ledare answered as she dismounted. "We'll leave the horses here and head up to the manor through the woods as planned." The others obliged while Lela tried her best to calm Wolf. Clearly, the animal was as frightened as the horses and was whining loudly."There's something unnatural here," Lela warned. "Moreso than last time, even."An ululating cry split the air at that moment, confirming the druid's assessment. Feln darted forward and peered around the corner of the nearest building. There several hundred feet away across the square was... something. The bizarre creature had a body roughly the size and shape of a horse, but a ridge of boney chitin ran along its spine and its belly hung pale, bloated and covered with a network of purple veins. Its head was like that of a huge vulture, possessed of a beak that looked capable of snapping a man's leg in half with ease. Beneath the head, a pair of bruise-colored limbs writhed anxiously.The half-ogre darted back, forestalling Karak and Morier. "There's some sort of... thing out there," he warned them. "I've never seen anything like it." Karak harrumphed and then two more answering cries ripped the afternoon air. They couldn't pinpoint the sound, but at least one of them seemed to be coming from off to the right of their current position."Well, let's get out there an' start choppin' 'em into -" Karak started to say and then Hildegunna cried out in alarm."Flor have mercy!" she shouted pointing toward the open doorway of a nearby building. "What is that?"There, shuffling toward them, was an abomination that had no place in a rational world - a six foot walking bladder, with its arms and legs formed by belts and straps of leather. Even at this distance, it was obvious that the skin of the bladder was human, a horrible montage of stitched-together human faces. As it moved closer, the cloud of buzzing flies and the maggots leaking from the stitched-shut nostrils and mouths and eyes became evident, showing the VQS the vermin that animated the blasphemous skin.Another unwholesome howl came from behind them, momentarily allowing them to tear their eyes away from the shuffling horror and reminding them that they had other enemies to contend with as well.</blockquote>

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