Day One Thousand Four Hundred and Sixty Two Without Chauntea’s Grace.
Telli dragged her feet along the dirt road exhausted as she made her way towards Z’s farm. It was located on the outskirts of Norwick and seemed like miles to a tired overweight dwarf.
“Why did Mr Z builds his dumb farms on a hill…” Telli grumbled gripping her legs by the thigh literally helping them up the hill. Sighing she looked around wiping some sweat from her brow.
“Hey ders Max…” Z’s dog wagged his tail a bit before running off.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK Telli began pounding on Z’s door.
“Wake up Mr Z….WAKE UP!….It’s time fer our trips!....Telli didn’t tell no one likedededs yuhs askedededs.”
Standing there in silence for a while Telli dragged a nearby barrel over to Z’s window climbing atop it to look within Z’s home. It looked quiet and undisturbed…
”Whatcha doing there lady…”
“Ahhh…” Telli came crashing to the ground sending grass to the air due to the brunt force of her frame.
”oh…oh…” The halfing farmer flinched a bit holding back his hand.
“owf…” Telli dusted herself off waddling over to the stranger. “I’m lookings fer Mr Z… haves yuh seen hims feller?”
”No…can’t say I have…did you try looking in his fields….thats where he was this morning.”
**WOOF WOOF
Max came running up the hill rubbing up against the farmer dropping a vial by his foot.
”Whats…this…”
Telli shrugged looking at the man before blinking. Deduction took a while longer to process for Telli then most.
“Oh…oh….OOOOhhhh….Telli knows… Dat Mr Z’s…its water from his fountain! Buh… he wouldn’t juss leave it lyings arounds…. I wonder where he is…”
”Mrs. Winchill mentioned seeing a flock of something flying east a here a little while back. Said they didn’t have normal wings of feathers like birds.”
“Dat nots goods…. Yuh….tink mebbe dey haves Mr Z?…. He wouldn’t have lefts dis vial ahind….”
”Don’t rightly know…”
“Will yuh watch Mr Z’s doggie fer me’s… Telli’s gonna go see if she can findededs somes helps finding Mr Z.”
”Good luck… let him know I fed Max dinner if yuh come across him…”
“Danks Mr…Mr….uh…..Mr…”
”Seth…Seth Fleetfoot…”
Telli waved running and sliding down the hill hopping to her feet at the bottom. As she made her way towards Norwick it was quickly apparent no one other then a few guards were around. Telli sighed heading north as nervousness crept across her demeanor. Her mind shuffled through the gambit of questions that trickled into her thick melon. What if she failed? How would she save Mr Z just by herself? What….What if she failed Chauntea again?
Just then a chunk of fur caught Telli’s attention from the corner of her eye. A wolf was off in the opposite direction increasing the distance between Telli and itself.
“Wait…WAIT….WAITS!” Telli screamed cupping her hands as the wolf skidded to a stop turning its head in a tilt.
“Mr Jerrick?….Mr Jerrick!? I NEED YUHS HELPS!”
The creature shifted to its hind quarters as its form altered revealing a woman.
”Its me Telli…”
“Oh…Miss Belia… hurry ders not much times ta explains.. I NEED yer HELP. Mr Z is missings…”
”He’s probably in the Norwick crafting hall.”
“No… I tink Demons mighta takens hims!”
”oh…Where…to?” She replied curiously.
“I…tink ta da Mintas Woods… Dats where… he saidededs der was dis prollem dat needed fixings…”
”..oh…were going to need help.”
“Der ain’t no ones in Norwick, and we outta times miss Belia… yuh can look…buh Telli’s gona start headings ta whats left a Jiyyd… don’t takes fereva okee?”
Telli rushed along passing the crater that was once Sam’s Hill and through the pass opening on her way to Jiyyd as Belia finally caught up.
“Any luck findings anyones?”
”No…”
“Durn….dis gonna be tougher den I hopedededs fer…” Deep down Telli’s nerves were on edge, she was counting on Z to show her what was needed to push back the taint.
”There’s a couple figures on the outskirts of Jiyyd up ahead…
“Hunh?” Telli squinted seeing a contrast in stature between the pair.
“Mr….Aramuil….Mr…Theaon….whatcha two doings outs here….”
”We came to investigate some creatures that flew overhead.” Aramuil replied with a confident grin.
“Oh….um….yuh tink yuh could gives us a hand findings Mr Z?”
”Did….he go off on a pilgrimage again….”
“Not….exactlies… I tink he was takens…”
”Oh…Lead the way then.”
As the four ventured into the heart of what was once a thriving farmland, the smell of sulfur and smoke still permeated from within.
“Over der!!!” Telli pointed as a winged creatures eyes widened and lept to the sky swooping down on the four.
RAAAaaaaHHhhhh…. The creature thrashed at Telli as she shoved her spear through its wing sending it rolling across the ground.
“Kill it!”
Theaon rushed over sinking his blade into its midsection.
“I…tink dat mights be one a dems winged creatures Mrs Winchill was talkings abouts….”
”At least we now know were going in the right direction…” Theaon uttered pulling his blade from the soft portion of the beast.
The four traveled on putting down swarms of poisonous frogs and snakes as they came across them. Entering the Mintas Woods one thing was quickly evident… the lack of animals was unsettling and erie to say the least. Corpses met the group every twenty feet or so and Telli sprinkled some of the vial blessed by Chauntea on each they came across.
”Whats that?!?” Aramuil shouted as he pointed off in the distance.
“Its….Its Mr Z’s sewings kit… he definatelies is in troubles.” Telli frowned picking it up. “We betta hurry…”
The group was quickly approaching Mintas Rheglor until they heard a growl from around the corner…
RAWR…
RAW-
SLAM
Telli gasped as she turned the corner seeing a hulking beast holding a lifeless dire tiger in its grasp…
HRRRRrrrrrrr
The creature flung the tiger over its shoulder rushing towards Telli….
“Oh no yuh don’t….yuh stupid big….ugly….TING!”
Telli lunged her mass at the creatures shin causing it to topple over her body to the ground.
”Dieeee….” Theaon shouted as he ran up driving his sword into the mass of the creature neck.
It lurched and shifted back to its feet as Theaon lost the grip of his two handed blade. Theaons eyes widened as the rotting creature stooped over his body.
Uhh….”
Just then magical spheres of light shot against the creatures face sending it backwards writhing in pain as it thrashed its massive hands about.
“Mr Theaon go fer its shins….” Telli and Theaon traded blows to each leg of the beast till it crumpled to its knees once more…
Thunk…
A well placed arrow finished the beast as Belia looked to the others.
Its getting late, we should get going…”
Mintas Rheglor loomed in the distance as the four made their way through the gates into the haunted city. A large hole was surrounded by water that moved and shifted in arcs before rising to form creatures filled with dirty mucky water.
”I…don’t like the looks of those things.” Aramuil cautioned as Telli stepped forward shaking up the vial she was carrying…
“Telli gots a plans…” Sprinkling some of the vials contents before them Telli prayed over it as the polluted elementals came closer. As each passed across the vials contents its form shifted and the dark murky waters of their frame shifted to crystal clear waters and crashed to the ground losing their original form.
“Who’s….gonna go down dat BIG hole first?”
”I can.” Theaon replied with a shrug.
Once the coast was clear each scaled down the rope to the depth of the hole below. The tunnels below were as confusing and hard to navigate as the cold caverns. To make matters worse after every hundred feet or so a large stone with foreign writing on it was blocking the groups path. The only way through was to answer the written riddle verbally and suffer the consequences should you guess wrong. The majority of the tunnels were filled with beetles and mephitis a sorts. Three rooms possessed note worthy information.
The first, was a room with a large worm covered mound of dirt which kept struggling within itself to seek redemption or destroy everything around it. Sadly with Theaons help, curative blessings destroyed the creature and brought it rest.
The second was a hallway filled with dead priests and priestesses of Lurue, Chauntea, and Mielikki. All were being devoured and eaten upon by the beetles within.
The third and final room was one filled with a dark priest and a veiled woman clutching two daggers curved and ready for delivering death. Thanks to Yondalla’s servant the dark priest was stunned before any lasting damage could be done. However… his altar loomed in the back of the tunnel’s opening covered with severed body parts, pieces of their attire hinting to them being followers of Chauntea and Mielikki.
“Help….HELP!”
Cries poured out from around the corner as Aramuil, Belia, Theaon, and Telli stood before the altar looking it over.
”What….what was that?” Aramuil uttered with a quirked brow.
”Get us out of here!” The voices echoed around the open tunnels.
As the group made their way around the corner they saw a large gate blocking prisoners within. Z was among them as he stood relieved. ”You guys made it! Thank Chauntea…
”I wouldn’t touch that…” One of the the prisoners shouted as Aramuil pulled his hand away from the gate latch.
”That….feller…” She motions to a dead corpse near the gate. ”… he tried touching it…”
“Dats not goods…”
”There’s…magical warding on it….maybe… it has to do with the altar….” Aramuil casually proclaimed motioning the other three back around the corner with him.
The four of them looked over the altar once more trying to distinguish its hold and possible connection to the gates magical aura.
”What do you think Aramuil?” Theaon prodded as he crossed his arms.”
”Well…it could be connected…”
“Telli gots an idear…”
”What’s that Telli?”
“Telli’s gonna chucks dis vial at dat altar and free dems…”
”Um.. we should probably try and save them before destroying the altar…”
“Telli tinks da altars causing da wards on da ga….”
”IS THERE A PROBLEM?” Z shouted from around the corner.
”No Z…just….try to be patient….” Aramuil replied.
”..alright…” Z uttered with a nervousness to his tone.
“Telli really tinks dis is whats need ta be done Mr Aramuil… dis why Z got da dream….da altars bad…and I still gots almosts HALF a dis water from Chauntea left….lets destroy its….”
”Alright Telli….if you think so….go ahead.”
Taking a few practice throws Telli lets the vial fly end over end at the altar until it smashes into it causing a loud fwoosh. The altar begins to crack and pieces cascade to the floor as a light aura overcomes the altars blight and fades out of existence…
As the others go to free the prisoners Telli stands there hands on her hips happy to have defeated the blight effecting the Mintas woods for so long.
“Danks Chauntea… couldn’t a dones it widouts….yu-……” Just then Telli’s split wreath around her neck begins to glow and interweave back together as a shimmer of light engulfs her form healing her completely.
“uh….uh…..ums….” For a full minute or two Telli stands there speechless until a wide grin engulfs her expression running from ear to ear. As the group turns the corner to approach Telli she’s still glowing faintly.
”Um…miss Telli…everything alright?” Z replied smiling.
No words slithered from Telli’s tongue no matter how hard she tried. She just nodded with a large dopey grin plastered across her face as she snapped her fingers closing her eyes. Bark began to grow and die…..grow and die….and grow and die until it finally covered every inch of her once more.
”Oh…” Z grinned wide. ”….congrats…its… good ta have yuh back.”
“Its….good ta be backs Mr Z….”
The group made their trek back to the bodies littering the hallway as Telli tugged on Z’s cloak to slow him down a moment.
”huh?”
“Danks…” Telli threw the mass of her arms around Z’s thighs hugging them.
”Yer welcome Telli… I’m glad you didn’t give up…”
Letting go she rubbed her bark covered eyes a bit before joining the rest of the group gathered around the dead priests and priestesses.
”Alright…everyone grab a hold a someone or something… this is gonna take a bit and I don’t want anyone left behind…” Aramuil uttered as the group huddled in a circle before a flash of light engulfed their presence and faded. The group was welcomed by a bright sunny afternoon and a half scared Lem off the coast of Jiyyd’s outskirts.
“Telli neva gets usedededs ta dats spells Mr Aramuil.”
”It can be jarring…”
Sighing deeply Telli waved to the group before proclaiming.
“Danks…..fer yuhs helps folks…and… savings Mr Z and da oders…. I…I’ms gonna stay here a little bits…” Telli waddled off towards the flag displaying Chauntea’s colors not saying much. She sat there for the rest of the afternoon and well into the evening praying until she drifted to sleep.
The next day she awoke to the sound of birds and the sun beating down on her chubby face. It took her a moment to gather her bearing and she began to wonder… was it all a dream? She looked down to her stumpy fingertips scared for a moment to know for certain… she glanced down to her once shattered wreath that was now whole once more. The rose in the center sparkled in the daylight. Telli didn’t say much for the next few hours. She just reflected on the path that lead her to her fall.
The point where she almost gave up Chauntea and all her memories of her to the feys just to not hurt any longer. The friends she turned to and helped keep her from losing her faith forever. Totty, Mr Z, Jerrick, Grag, Lyte, and many others. She began to think of all the farming land lost and the pillaging and raping of the land N’jast had accomplished. How much more she could have done to help had she just said “No” to Mr Grag. Had she just forsaken wraith and turned to Chauntea for guidance and direction.
Telli pushed herself to her feet and closed her eyes tightly. She muttered softly to herself and began to weep. So many tears had fallen for five years of trying to earn her place again among Chauntea’s chosen. For the first time in a long time Telli’s tears fell in gratitude and not out of repentance. She held her hands high to the air and a grin trickled across her lips. The solemn words rolled across her lips…”Thank you”…
**
