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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ruined" data-source="post: 654889" data-attributes="member: 113">Surielle - 12th of Belot, yr. 150 A.V.“Surielle, Brianna. I believe the grove lies ahead. Be on guard.”  Maximillian, the elder druid who had greeted Surielle six years before, now led them towards their goal. Unknown forces had corrupted a grove near Quelsk, far to the South of her home in Darakeene. No word had been received from the site in several months, and the last acolytes sent to investigate had not returned.Surielle now stood firm as a Sister of the Scythe. Years of training and experience had taught her a great amount about the world and the faith she followed. It had been a good time for her, although her mother had never returned to the Sisterhood. She heard a variety of tales regarding Amara, and received many compliments that they shared a great resemblance to one another.As her tutelage neared its end, she decided to follow the path her mother walked and do her best to determine her fate. Maximillian was content to let her leave, but when it was determined that the grove near Quelsk had fallen, he requested that she accompany his small group. As he pointed out, safety lies in numbers, and it was believed that Amara had also taken that route.Snowmelt steadily followed beside Surielle. The wolf was older, but still moved about with grace and speed. Snowmelt’s grey-and-white coat had thinned during the approach of summer’s heat. Surielle had made a good number of friends within the Sisterhood, but Snowmelt was easily the closest companion she had. It was the same among many of the other druids. Even Brianna kept Glory, a proud hawk, as her closest confidante. Snowmelt sniffed at the light wind and issued a growl as they moved deeper into the forest.“Yes, I sense it too,” Maximillian said. He paused for a second, listening to the woods around them. Surielle watched as he cast a spell, some form of protection. She followed suit, invoking a spell of barkskin. As she finished, she saw Brianna had cast something upon Glory. Maximillian made a few more preparations, and then motioned for them to move forward.Into the perimeter of the grove, Surielle could see that much of the flora looked like it had been ripped and chewed upon. Some trees were completely uprooted, while others had been stripped of bark and limbs. And now she could see the culprits.Two men stood at the center of the clearing, wearing tattered robes of brown and black. Roaming near them was a small pack of hyenas, each gaunt with hunger. But the one adversary that drew her attention stood behind the robed men – an enormously fat being that radiated a palpable evil. Surielle had heard of these creatures, corpulent servants of the titan Gaurak known as fatlings. The malevolent fatling was first to sense their approach and barked a command in an inhuman voice.Several of the emaciated hyenas charged towards Surielle and Snowmelt. Her wolf leapt upon one, avoiding the bite from their powerful jaws. As three ran towards Surielle, she invoked her power of animal defiance. The hyenas tried to halt their progress, tumbling over one another. Quickly they stood and ran from her display of willpower.Maximillian had moved forward to battle with the massive fatling. The creature’s hands were locked with Maximillian’s as it tried to pull him closer. Surielle gasped as she saw it try to envelope the druid into its fold of fat. If Maximillian perished, there would be no way she and Brianna could combat this. She turned and saw Brianna wielding her scythe against one of the cultists. The remaining cultist was avoiding the swoop of Glory while moving to flank Brianna. Surielle called forth a flame scythe and moved to interpose herself.The cultist turned to meet her, snarling. She could see that his cheeks were drawn in and his flesh a sallow color. Gaurak was a titan known for his great hunger, and his servants seemed to emulate him through starvation. The cultist lashed out with his staff, stinging her shoulder. She returned with the flaming scythe, missing him with her first few swings. As they fought, she heard a roar and witnessed Maximillian transform himself into a gigantic black bear, towering over the fatling.She continued to fight against the cultist as he pressed her back. He took a moment to invoke a spell, and she caught him with her flaming blade. His robes caught aflame and he cried out, ruining the spell. He tried to pat out the flames, but Surielle was driven, striking him again and again until he fell. Brianna and Glory had dispatched the other cultist, and Snowmelt had slain the hyena she fought.They turned to the fatling and Maximillian, gripped in deadly combat. There was a low rumbling coming from the area, and Surielle could feel the ground heaving beneath her. A loud shout came from the two, which sounded like a mix between Maximillian’s voice and the bear’s growl. She watched in despair as the two combatants sunk down into the ground, still locked together. Brianna seemed confused as they descended. Within moments, Maximillian and the fatling were completely enveloped and the ground returned to an unbroken state.“No!”  Surielle cried out as they scrambled forward. The rumbling had slowed, and there were no signs of the elder druid or the titanic servant. The other bodies remained as testament to the recent battle. Their enemies were gone, but it was a costly victory. After the dust had settled, and there was no sign of Maximillian or the fatling, Brianna turned to Surielle.“Well, it falls to us then. We have vanquished the cultists. Now we must sanctify the grove once more.”  It seemed more of a question than statement, but Surielle nodded in agreement. This was their calling - Denev’s wounds must be tended.</blockquote>

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