Through the sweeping, silver rains, the group traversed the floodplain half the day in pursuit of the gnolls. While their tracks has been washed away, evidence of their passing was clear in the vandalism and destruction of every man-made measure to control the waters of the region. Broken levees, a sabotaged dam, and various primal shrines meant to drive local water spirits into frenzies painted a clear picture: the gnolls wanted to supersaturate the region, perhaps flood local farmland or even drown Godswon as rainy season continued.
Their course changed slightly when they noticed a large, indigo creature Theros' spyglass confirmed was, most likely, a manticore circling over a wide lay of the plain. Strange creatures not storied for their kindness, the group made sure to keep a wide berth. Unfortunately, its eye was drawn to their position given the stretch's great openness.
About this time, Vivianna attempted to send a message to her nearest forces, however an embarrassing grab of the wrong ritual component (medusa scales) left the Dawn Knight a living statue. Donatella (laughing hard enough for tears) and a far more sheepish Maia began their attempts at reversing the condition.
The manticore descended on Theros and Aleksi like a sudden storm, while the girls were busy inside. Unlike the gnolls, this creature seemed capable of shrugging off spells and blows alike, tearing through magically-manipulated mud and clawing under paladin steel. After a solid slash by Theros, it launched the tabari forty feet and into the Hut's side hard enough to rock the shelter. Maia ran onto the porch, sounding a spectacular roar borrowing from the strength of the primal spirits aligned with her house. It was enough to frighten the manticore, which ballooned twice its girth and forced its spiny mane on edges.
Its will broken, the monster was quickly defeated. Donatella used one of her soul gems to extract its spirit, surprised to find there were actually two souls in the body. She'd taken the darker of the two, a primal spirit, though it wasn't a perfect fit in the casing of the gem. Intent on questioning the entity and learning more of the gnolls' plans before it leaked out, Aleksi warned against it. The spirit was mad, he explained, for having been ripped from its home and forced into a cage of flesh. It was incomplete, only half its being present in the crystal, while the other half still remained tethered to the spirit world. He vowed to restore the spirit should a way present itself. Given the gnoll shamans' extensive manipulation of spirits, it seemed likely they had some sort of access point.
Theros discovered the entrance to the gnoll burrow soon after, a wide well stabbed into the depths of the flood plain. It looked very old, and several in the party soon recognized it was trapped. Aleksi decided to send the Hut to the safety of a previous camp site, then. For one, it couldn't fit down the well. And just the night before, gnolls had tried to burn it to the ground. If left on the surface, no telling what might happen. He sent Valerik along with it as protector. With any luck, Vivianna would recover in the meantime.
At the rim of the well, a wisp of a magical voice asked, "Who is master?" and the general consensus (or perhaps just the first name uttered) was The Howler in the Winds. A mighty gust blasted upward, spraying the party and seeming to deactivate whatever might have followed. Or had it...
There were no ropes, steps, or other obvious ways down, so the party managed as small birds thanks to a druidic ritual. Maia opted for a simple feather fall cantrip. In the black waters around ninety feet down, deep enough the group was forced to wade, they awkwardly positioned themselves beneath two elevated gates twelve feet tall a piece- amalgams of stolen fences, broken doors, metal wire and battlefield scrap. Through feline brawn and the necromancer's touch of decrepitude, the group managed to breach the portals and reconvene on slick limestone of one of the crudely-dug tunnels. The dripping darkness awaited, stinking now of wet fur, filth, and spoiled meats.
Maia multiplied a magical coin spell in order to provide light for the party, though they couldn't shine far enough to reveal the terminus of the extending passage. Each of them managed the horrid odors in their own way (a little balm under the nose, perhaps, or a clothespin). Then the four braved the Burrow of the Nightcackler, with two hours remaining until sunset. Unfortunately, only one among them knew the urgency tied to the setting of the sun...
NPCs
Manticore (nameless; dead)- possessed by a mad spirit, suffering half in the material world and half in the spirit world, known to the druids as the Eald
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