Crop Circles
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_With Dietrick's renewed gifts and the dragoons renewed attention, the forces of blight are put on the run, though not so easily turned as there no longer is there a day-night rest cycle. The flowers and thorny weeds carry out their vicious, silent battle 24 hours a day and the colorful dazzling lights provide a light show day or night. Though inn the day they appear more as rainbows streaked across the sky as to the brilliant auroral storms at night.
Those who sleep with the trinkets under their pillows report the presence of Fey in their dreams despite th usual precautions that keep the Fey out…and they awake severely nauseated. One difference, the Seelie Fey in their dreams appear to them as protectors, a point proven by the vicious dreams of battle reported to break out from hin after hin in the Valley, mirroring that of the lights in the sky and plants in the infected fields.
About 11 farmers follow Z and company from Norwick as they prepare for a second ritual._
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@e6ba91a010=Pyrus:
In addition to the previous orders, the dragoons have been ordered to go door to door to question which of the residents have bought trinkets from the old hin woman who came to the valley during the festival with her two sons. For those who did, the dragoons were instructed to confiscate the trinkets on suspicions that the trinkets have a connection to the blight growing back out, and that it is found not to be true the trinkets will be returned back to their original owners.
After a casual meeting with Telli, Dietrick retracks the arrest order of the old hin woman and instructs the dragoons to return all confiscated trinkets back to their original owners. On top of that Dietrick begins to actively promote the use of the trinkets even. Encouraging the valley residents to buy one each and sleep at night with it.
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Two purely massive direwolves arrive, one with that familiar patch of red fur on his chest and forehead, the color of Jerrick's hair.
he shifts back with a familiar crunching noise, and tosses Z a casual salute, looking ready.
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Dietrick passes orders to the dragoons to safe guard the visitors as well as provide the necessary lodgings for them inside the barracks as well as any other basic necessities they might need during their stay here.
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Telli arrives with a odd trinket around her neck and a dopey grin…
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Not long after Miea turns up, looking cheerfull and happy. ready to help. Zeff following in behind.
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*Z sends word to Telli, Calendel, Jerrick, and Miea to meet him in the Silver Valley tomorrow at dawn, if they can. ((PMs sent))
The next day, Z, along with several helpful farmers from the neighboring town of Norwick arrive at the Silver Valley just before sunrise. ((DM decides how many since they're NPCs))
They immediately head towards the first crop circle and gather around in prayer. To those that saw the "Crop Blight Ritual" in Norwick, it appears that they are getting ready to do it again.
They pray and prepare, but they do not actually start the ritual. Z looks around and waits for some of the Silver Valley's leadership to arrive, as well as, his "team" ((Other PCs
)).*
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_In addition to the previous orders, the dragoons have been ordered to go door to door to question which of the residents have bought trinkets from the old hin woman who came to the valley during the festival with her two sons. For those who did, the dragoons were instructed to confiscate the trinkets on suspicions that the trinkets have a connection to the blight growing back out, and that it is found not to be true the trinkets will be returned back to their original owners.
Besides that, Dietrick personally digs a hole again near the blight. Having bought some pretty trinkets females adorn on their hair, he puts them with a short note similar to the one he wrote for the last offering into a small pouch and puts it into the hole and burying it.
He then proceeds to directly over-see and motivate the priest dragoons in using their priest magiks to remove the blight growing back out._
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Gears stares at Dietrick with a furrowed brow a moment before walking up and speaking quietly but tersely with him.
((I'll PM ya))
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_Once the blight's counterattack caught the Captain's attention, he immediately summons the dragoon priests to use their remove curse magics to keep the blight back.
"Buy me sum time and clear some grounds fer da princess' flowers to fight back."
Next he orders the purchase of a number of trinkets from the old hin woman who wandered into the valley during the harvest moon festival. He then proceeds to distribute them among those who report having such strange dreams, he asks them to put the trinket under their pillows before sleeping the following night and to report back what happens.
Meanwhile the Captain sends word to Z._
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_The night storms of colorful lights waring each other grows steadily more violent, blowing over many things over night that are not firmly rooted in teh ground or tied down. The thorny weeds and slimy, creeping vermin have nearly over taken the fields from the garden flowers once more, with the garden flowers now reduced to just 1/3 of the affected fields.
In addition, recently small but significant fraction of the Valley reports wild dreams with the possible presence of Fey despite the usual precautions taken that usually work and still seem to be working for the rest of the Valley's residents even still. These unlucky few report the sense of the dreams being…poisoned..for lack of a better word as their dreams turned sour and supremely surreal before the Fey appeared. For all they can tell, the battle rages nightly in the sky and silently in the fields has spread to their dreams Their dreamscapes witnessing great battles between creatures they know they've never scene before and can barely describe. Fewer still make the mental link until they talk to someone who did recognize a creature in their dreams that they thought they saw up in the colored lights at night._
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*Z (who looks a bit under the weather) is seen sitting with Ginger and Dietrick, discussing the crop blight, and asking for permission to cure it once and for all.
Z, who seems uncharacteristically cranky, and Dietrick seem to disagree on several fronts, but appear to come to some sort of agreement in the end.
Time will tell…*
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*Yawning and constantly rubbing blood-shot eyes, Z wanders into the Silver Valley, takes a look at the progress made against the crop circle blight, and nods a bit to himself.
After a brief prayer over the crops and an ever briefer visit to the pastry shop, he is heard mumbling to himself as he heads towards Ginger's tent.*
I wonder if the second basket meant the Silver Valley…
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As the dragons grow lax and confident in their victory…its seems more that victory is not so assured after all. At least not yet. Without their vigilant allies on the ground, the garden flowers lose their grip on the tenuous stalemate. Within a week it is evident the thorny weeds are truly on the march again as are the mage bot flies. A few inches each day are lost by the garden flowers along the battle lines.
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_Like a population of cockroaches exterminated for all but a pregnant female roach, the blighted side of the field makes headway against the opposing garden flowers. The battle has slowed to mere inches per day gain.
Though it seems the only thing preserving the stalemate are Dragoons vigilant enough to recast Remove Curse when the creep grows noticeable. The hours give the garden flowers time to make inroads. Days later, the weeds are creeping back out._
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_The battle lines of the plants gives way, flowing from day to day. One..maybe three nights in a row it may seem the thorny thicket is growing and clawing its way out of the corner. THen within one night, it is driven right back again.
The skies over the fields of the Valley grow into a night display of colored lights One aurora and maelstrom will move only to be intercepted by a second before it may touch down. Blustery winds swirl around the ground under and around the outsides of the vividly colored supermaelstrom. The flashing and bright display is sure to dazzle any onlookers to gaze too long up at it. Those who do find themselves dazzled report feeling a longing to…follow the lights to from where ever they came.
No one being able to follow the warring lights, their feeling subsides once their snes are regained from being entranced at the display. Those dazzled or with wilder imaginations witness the occasional sight of knights on brilliant steeds crashing down on ugly, horridly faced, man-things riding giant spiders..in the sky amid the lights? and in fierce battle.
Reality or merely fanciful retelling...such an ill-defined and blurred line is the birthstuff of countless fairy tales...even on Toril._
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Tiffiny is the first to start a little clap amoung the people in regongnition of agood job to deet andsoon everyone joins in
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_Observing atop the hill, Dietrick watches in awe.
On the next day, Dietrick gathered the whole valley. With the dragoons standing behind him atop the hill , their red banners flabbering in the wind, and the many valley towns-folk and farmers gathering below looking up in curiosity, wondering what this is about._
"Is been long time and a hard fight. Dietrick understands everyone have suffered, everyone lost something. But this day, is the day that all of that is over! We will reclaim what is ours, and rebuild wat was lost. Dietrick is happy to let everyone know this blight evil is defeated!…"
Dietrick proceeds to draw his sword up high.
"I declare victory! This victory was not easy, was only by da power of our Goddess Yondalla to remove the blight, Princess Morgaine 's help to keep it from returning, and all of your cooperation to help in this together that it is over. Do not forget to give thanks to Yondalla, and when able, an offering to Princess Morgaine for her help. She is the one who prevent this blight from coming back, trinkets and ornaments women would fancy will please her. Simply bury them in a bag in the ground. And last of all, good work dragoons."
_Dietrick smiles his usual silly smile and assures the farmers to return to their normal lives, to regrow their crops.
Dietrick further instructs the dragoons to keep an eye on the last bastion of thicket the creepy crawlies live in. If it ever grows beyond its boundaries, have the priests cast remove curse on it at once.
Dietrick also further suggests that a great festival and celebration will be held soon, to commerate their victory, celebrate it, and to give thanks as well to their Goddess Yondalla and a "Princess Morgaine"._
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_Something the dragoons did, leads to the blight being absent for nearly a day, one night passing without any vermin or wild plants moving in, only mage bot flies swarming in strength over the center of the second circle that brought them to the valley in the first place.
By the dawn after the dragoon's charge, a swirling rainbow of sky lights again forms locally over the first affected and treated area. Strong winds howl within the maelstrom of prismatic, hypnotic colors. The same dazing hypnosis may strike any who dare glimpse into the colorful storm. When the prismatic maelstrom lifts , again the impression of a crop circle is traced out in the dirt and ashes. It is left directly over where the bag of jewelry and other hair and fashion accessories was buried with the note. Anyone digging down would find the earth undisturbed before beginning to dig down and yet find the sack gone.
The strange glyph…gives a soft golden glow in the light of the rising sun.That eve, in the setting sun, plants grow rapidly, taking advantage of the blight's inhibited state. All through that night and into the next day, a friendlier garden green grows up from the earth around the newest laid glyph. Vividly colored flowers blossom on rich, broad-leaved plants. A pleasant and stress-relieving aroma carries with the new growth.The speed of Nature greatly enhanced, these gentler seeming flowers grow and die as rapidly as the blight infected crops and thorn-laden wild plants that encroached in their place had. Growth that should take weeks...months even taking place in hours. Bright green caterpillars feed on the some of the broad leaves of the new plants, spinning themselves into cocoons by dusk.
As dusk sets in this day after the dragoon's charge, the residual magic of the blight reweaves itself, its bioluminescent blight returning to infect the leaves of the new plants while the thorny, wicked weeds reclaim lost ground. The blight doing the same number on the new flowers as it did on the crops. The first time it's attacked apparently wild plants.
Over the first couple hours of the evening, a putrid rotting, sulfurous odor grows thick on the blighted side with the return of the creeping crawling vermin. The swarms seem to find the new plants and their big, colorful blossoms to be as delectable as the blight does, aiding in driving the wondrous new garden back.
The cocoons spun at dusk open a couple hours giving girth to plain, pale white moths that flutter about amid the thick clouds of flies and moonlight. They dance and pair up all the while the new flowers slowly lose ground.
The moth's eggs are laid upon the blight infected leaves, giving rise to a new generation of caterpillars. Their voracious appetites devour the infected leaves greatly slows the spread of the blight, giving the flowers true nature time to show. Without the blight stunting their own spreading growth, parasitic tendrils sprout and wrap around the weeds growing along the frontlines of the silent battle.
Caterpillars fat with blight-infected leaves become moths glowing with the same faint light blue glow as the fungus that fed them and by dawn fill the air with constellations of fluttering blue wings. An army of metallic blue ants crawls from the golden third glyph. With the bite of a single metallic blue ant stinging with the fire of a bullet, the swarming vermin make easy prey for the methodical attack of the ants on the swarm around the flowers the swarm feeds on. The parasitic new flowers advance back, choking off and feeding on the saps of any thorny weeds in their way.
Even the mage flies come under predation from iridescent blue-green swifts and prismatic golden-eyed geckos whose colors change to make perfect camouflages to bright, vivid warning displays and back again in a blink.
Mid-morning light shows the blight to be on its heels, covering roughly only a quarter of the land it did just two nights before. The blight plants are forced to grow so thick and densely together, they form an impenetrable thicket over the last few acres whose shade allows the vermin to remain even in day. Stalemate, the predatory new garden stalls around the twisted, thorny tangle and the weeds cannot sustain any countergrowth outside of the solidified battlelines. An odd and precarious ecology settles in amidst the warring plantlife. Geckos, swifts and even a few colorful spiders predate on any vermin wandering out of the bramble of weeds adn the vermin swarm overwhelms any such predator that wanders into the thicket.
On the plus side, the mage bot flies can only be found in small wispy groups no bigger than a cluster of gnats in a normal day's twilight._
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_As a new day starts and daylight breaks, the valley residents might be surprised or shocked at the view within the valley. The entire dragoon force have assembled, standing still and at attention in orderly files. At their helm , mounted on a war pony, is Captain Dietrick himself, looking as serious as ever before. Cloak flabbering in the wind, it appears as if the Captain is about to make a final stand against the blight. During the six hours of mobilization, the dragoons had been briefed and instructed, preparations made. They are ready.
Unflinching on his mount, Dietrick's eyes look up at the sky, following the light that is slowly breaking. He draws his sword up high, and shouts "Formations!!!"
The dragoons begin to spread out and surround the blight area. On the front ranks are the arvoreen aegis shields, the yondalla faithfuls forming the second behind the first, and the third rank formed by the Brandobaris shadow archers.
Dietrick digs in his heels and charges in, riding around the path in between the blight and the assembled dragoons, cheering out loud "Down with the blight!!!! This day it ends!!!" The dragoons wave their weapons cheering the same, a morale booster.
Dietrick then rides back atop a hill over watching to pass orders.
"Front Rank! Move up!"
The first rank of warriors move closer to the perimeter of the blight with shields locked. They each pull out a glass bottle filled with burning oil and throw it over-head into the midst of the wicked thorn plants. The bottles shatter into glass fragments with the burning oil splattering onto all the thorn plants and evil things. The front rank dragoons then each proceed to take out a torch and lights it, holding up their burning torches, "a ring of fire" surrounds the blight as the first rank of warriors retreat several steps back.
"Archers!!!!"
The first and second rank kneel down, and the third rank of archers place burning arrows to their bows, aiming at the blight and drawing back the bow string.
"Fire!!!!"
Waves of flaming arrows whiz into the blight, setting the blight area and everything within aflame as the oil catches fire. As Dietrick expects any crawlies to start squirming out of the burning hells…
"Archers Halt! Aegis shields move up!!!!"
The first and second rank stand up, with the first rank moving towards the blight. Using their cloaks, they begin to fan at the fires, building it up and blowing the smoke towards the blight center to give the flies a torture session. As for crawlies that crawl outwards from the flame, some among the front ranks would use their burning torches to snub them out, giving them a bludgeoning fiery death.
With the smoke being fanned around the perimeter towards the center, a great column of black smoke rises up into the sky....
After the fire had died down, the arvoreen aegis shields draw their blades and enter in to cut down any surviving alien thing then retreats. When it is secure...
"Second Rank Up!"
The second rank of Yondalla faithfuls begin to move in towards the now clear and secured grounds and begin to chant in harmony. Blessings are casted in unison, only two spells are used by them: remove curse and remove disease.
Next, after the blight is removed temporarily, the priests are ordered back while Dietrick rides to the the spot where a hole was dug previously. He gets off the horse and takes down the bag of pretty ornaments and jewelery loaded on the horse. Slipping a note into the bag (will pm you what the note says) and tying it securely, he puts it into the hole respectfully and orders the dragoons to fill up the hole. After the whole thing, Dietrick mumbles silent words like a prayer...
"Please accept this gift of offering to you, Princess Morgaine, hope you are pleased with it and in return, please keep the stench and rot of the slime lord at bay."
Pairs of dragoon scouts are posted to guard the hole against covetous people, while the rest of the dragoons are ordered back for a good rest._
