Crop Circles
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Mages are ordered to cast smoke type spells at the blight at dusk for pest extermination. Spells such as circle of doom are used.
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With replanting forbidden and the blight's inability to affect wild-growing plants immediately around it, the contamination seems contained for the time being. The creeping, crawling, slimy things do come up out of the soil at dusk and disappear dawn still however. As do the flies who have a taste for mage blood over the contained area.
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@fda427859d=acmefalls:
Once the crops are burnt, it might seem the day is won! The crops and blight burnt to ashes. It may be weeks before the spores prove to have survived the fire yet the fungi's very nature of speeding growth to maturity within days and rotting within hours, also speeds the sprouting of any crops replanted in that same ground, starting the cycle all over again.
_Crops are not replanted in the same ground. Nothing is going to be replanted until this blight is over. All outlying crops nearest to the blight have been burned, leaving only burnt dry patches where nothing will grow out of it. Farmers are not even allowed near as the area have been condoned off.
Priests are put on standby. Should there even be the slightest hint of the blight trying to spread further than the already affected areas, the priests will surround and use their blessings to keep it within its confined area._
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The afflicted mage's plight also seems almost unassailable. Healing spells, remove disease Remove Curse, Lesser and normal Restorations. All have no lasting effect by themselves. Remove Curse showing the greatest promise..as far as results go.
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Bear, one of the newer druids in the region has been wandering in and out of the Silver Valley every day for the last few days, largely observing what's happening and trying to stay out of the way.
After seeing the results of the efforts of others, and noting that nothing seems to be stopping the taint, he walks over to Dietrick, and offers a suggestion.
_Don't want to intrude, but it might be if you tried sowing the ground with iron filings, maybe it put down that taint. Got a sneaking suspicion that it's being caused by some unhappy fey, and that the iron MIGHT stop the corruption and disperse that bad energy there. Would explain that magical stuff that happens when the crop circle came back.
Just a thought I had, figured I should share it with you_
With that done, he retreats back to watch and see what actions are taken and the results, if any.
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_The fungal blight actually seems to go away on any plant Parsley blesses…for up to an hour..sometimes less. Then the glowing blight grows right back.
Once the crops are burnt, it might seem the day is won! The crops and blight burnt to ashes. It may be weeks before the spores prove to have survived the fire yet the fungi's very nature of speeding growth to maturity within days and rotting within hours, also speeds the sprouting of any crops replanted in that same ground, starting the cycle all over again._
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Dietrick frowns deeper, and orders the guards back. All injured dragoons including the mage are taken to the temple, Dietrick orders the priests to have a look over the mage and see if their god blessings could help his condition. Otherwise there are only a few dragoon guards watching from a safe distance at the mysterious crop circles, at four different directions like previous positioning. Dietrick immediately orders for the dragoons to confine the crop circle by burning the outermost crops nearest to the furthest affected crops, even the fine ones. The farmers owning the healthy unaffected crops that are burned are reimbursed with gold from the treasury.
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Parsley blesses the affected crops nonstop, waving his golden daisy around and chanting in the name of Sheela Peryroyl.
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_Observing the infected crops proves the blight has a seemingly beneficial effect..at first. Within days any plant infected has grown out in full bounty. It's truly negative side shows only hours after the plant reaches maturity, it wilts and dies, releasing a smoky cloud of spores that within hours have spread the blight to nearby previously uninfected crops.
Nothing else seems to come through for a day or two. Then one night a localized aurora dances in the sky over where the original crop circle appeared. The dancing lights swirl into downward funnel, spinning faster and wilder all the way down to the ground. The Dragoons not protected by magic are left dazzled and fascinated simply by watching the brilliant display of swirling color. Even the casters normally protected from evil, find no protection from these mind effects, neither would the shadowy figure or two in the dragon ranks who may have protected themselves from good be unaffected. Stray arrows shot through on reflex fly harmlessly through the colorful phenomenon. It leaves in its wake another crop circle, with no two witnesses agreeing on how long they stood there.
The same creatures creeping and slime infest the grounds around the second circle, with the addition of flies. Flies that swarm and have a taste specifically for mages. These flies ignore anyone who is not a mage, one dragoon mage being unlucky to be the first bitten. He reports feeling..something..or things burrowing and spreading out beneath the surface of his skin and has trouble casting any spell at all._
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_Dietrick frowns , looking hard at the abnormality from the hill where the barracks stood. Dietrick orders the area immediately condoned off for the safety of the valley's residents. Dragoon guards are posted nearby it at all four directions adjacent to the blight. Internal patrol routes now center around the blight. Rules of engagement are clear: towards anything that should emerge from the blight, if it shows signs of hostility, to kill at will.
The guard positioning are structured in such a way that should any force enter the valley via the blight, the guards from all four direction will surround and contain this threat, nearby patrols will be alerted and the entire dragoon force will backup within moments, completely surrounding the enemy force should it come to that.
Meanwhile, Dietrick requests for the councilor of the arcane to give insights on what this blight is._
