13A:Play/20 Not Giving A Shit

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Starring: 🌲 Qistis, 📜Elistheren, 🐾 Kaelon
Guest Starring: Inigo, Flesh Golem nee Floating Head, compound cultists
Challenge: cultists, what to do with them
Location: Road between Horizon, Eldolan
Date Played: 2017 Sept 27

Wrapping up in Horizon

📜Elistheren: On the road, again. This is, certainly the life. Horizon was a nice stop over, but new things are to be discovered out there, and we're hot on the trail of Inigo, yet again. Wait… that isn't a new thing. Well, no matter. We've got him, now!

Steinar: This feels like a story where the author got super lazy with the sequels. We've done this before, we're doing it again, and we will probably do it a dozen times over. Inigo always seems one step ahead of us. It's like those children's stories of the globetrotting bandit Crimson Coattails and her always getting away ahead of the detectives.

🌲 Qistis: I swear the others just keep taunting me, either that or they hate me (though with Kaelon that wouldn't really surprise me, but he seems to have everything that isn't "nature"). A bit of a trail has opened up and Inigo is likely at the end. Kaelon is infuriating as always and keeps saying Inigo's name, no matter how mad I seem to get.

The Compound

📜Elistheren: Our lead brings us to a small farm surrounded by a palisade. It's open, and as academics, we just wander in. I announce us, after all, we're not here to rob them- just ask some questions.

While poking around, we find a terrifying flesh golem in the barn, presumably in use as farm equipment? There are also many outhouses, stuffed with corpses that are also filled with coins. Possibly in use as…

As murder weapons. The inhabitants of this farm aren't interested in our questions, they want to turn us into coin purses. Well, we're certainly not having any of that!

Steinar: In the short existence I've had, I've had a lot of things shoved inside of me. Never before have I thought about coins. I'm scolded by... well, everyone, for bringing it up. I'm assured this is not a normal, cultural thing, so the seriousness sets in quickly.

The farmers don't take very kindly to questions either. I suppose it will sate Quistis' and Annalana's bloodlust, though, so I guess there is always a positive in situations like this. Bad guys get pounded, and they stop having the shakes.

🌲 Qistis: We arrive at a compound of sorts. I've nearly given up trying to dissuade my companion's curiosities. This whole thing is obviously a trap. I would much prefer we head on to talk with the Prince...ss? Not sure what they're going my right now, not like it really matters, it'll just be different by the time we get to talk to them anyways.

Shockingly this compound is indeed a trap. Some necromancer of sorts was performing experiments on the villagers and travelers, turning them into flesh golems and zombies. Not very shockingly, though pleasantly surprising, Inigo is in fact here. After the riff raff is dealt with I snatch up his head and wrap it tightly and securely, keeping a very close eye and even closer hold on the thing. The bastard isn't getting away from me anytime soon.

What To Do With the Survivors?

📜Elistheren: Well, they are a hazard to other travelers. I'm not sure who, if anyone, enforces the law along this stretch of wilderness, but I'd much rather make dealing with them someone else's problem… once they've shown me copies of all their religious documents and practices. I wish them a long time going forward, practicing their faith, preferably without killing random passerby! Living sacrifices should always consent, first.

Steinar: I don't really understand all of the faith stuff, so I just zone out a bit. I do know if the others are innocent, they should be free to go. Their parting gift should be a stern talking to about the value of life and consent, but let go. For some reason, mentioning the consent to bodily harm and modification makes me feel like a hypocrite, but I can't place why...

🌲 Qistis: The villagers were being held complacent by some sort of drug distilled from the berries of the bushes around the lake. Now guideless and no cure being possible without further study of the herbs, Elistherin and I attempt to make sure they don't kill themselves from neglect in the mean time. Our efforts are fruitless as they take our words far to literally. Hopefully they don't die of stupidity before either Kaelon or I manage to distill some kind of countermeasure to this drug.