S49: Buddy System, Part 4
The sun is setting and the night is approaching. The Coquette’s Shoulder reveals herself in the sky, a narrow sliver of white light amidst an otherwise dreary night in Camp Bloodwood. Gnarlden had retreated into his and Pöls tent with Wobar’s remains as the rest of the student bodies milled about, forbidden from leaving camp. Earlier, Vax had left to head back into the woods, letting Shakan know he had to look into something.
While Rat takes a proactive approach in scouting the camp perimeter and learning the scuttlebutt about the incident, Taerus entrusts his cursed divination bones to Shakan, begging the sorcerer to keep them away. As Rat returns, the three begin to commiserate, with Shakan starting by expressing his surprise about the unexpected difficulties experienced by the trip- why weren't they warned about the dangers of the woods? Rat and Taerus agree.
Vax returns shortly thereafter, explaining he'd wanted to investigate the murder site further for signs of the tree creatures. Instead, he found that the Bloodwoods there had been freshly harvested which surprised both he and Shakan as no other students had entered that area. After the warlock shared his run in with Pöl earlier that morning, the Mudwang’s decided it was time to learn a little bit more about the “cool” trip leader.
As the men approached, the elven scholar greeted them with a warm smile, which belied the tacit accusation when he asked about their well-being after their “failures” earlier. Not content to be talked down to, Rat and Taerus both accused the instructor on both failing to lead this trip properly as well as keeping knowledge from them, such as how he somehow seemed familiar with the shadow mastiffs. Perplexed, the leader first retorted that they’d been hired specifically to protect students from the unknown- a task which they'd failed- and that the dogs of darkness had previously been dealt with many years ago at the Academy’s request. Pöl calmly explained further that he had been helping to lead this trip for decades ("longer than some of you have breathed,") and their reappearance had prompted him to scout the path ahead this morning when Vax happened to spot him.
Taerus calls out the hypocrisy of a leader ignoring 2 of their 3 own rules (Staying in Camp after Moonrise and The Buddy System,) again placing Wobar’s death ultimately on Pöl's lack of leadership. The further tauntings by the scallywag bard both serve to gather a crowd of students around the encounter and to put the elf scholar on edge. Hoping to avoid any further loss of face, Pöl bids a hasty retreat back into his tent after asking Vax to kindly recast his illusory protection spell. Sensing a retreat, Taerus, Shakan, and Rat pursued while Vax began to cast the spell for the good of the camp.
Inside, the three adventurers find a somber sight: a distraught Gnardlen bent low in prayer over the veiled body of Wobar. The tent he and Pöl shared had been cleared to make room for the ceremony, with their possessions and supplies pushed to the outskirts of the large tent, finding what looked like a large supply of Bloodwood sap. Sensing the gravity, Taerus chose to sit by his friend and join him in grieving. Shakan and Rat however were here to investigate a mystery, and began to root through the instructor’s supplies. This infuriated Pöl to the point of the elf yelling at the two men for disrespecting both he and Gnarlden in this time of mourning. With a firm promise to uncover his scheming, Rat and Shakan returned outside. Taerus spent several more minutes with Gnardlen before leaving, giving his friend a final blessing and the deceased a final prayer,
"May the wind carry home your soul,
where it may rouse into a storm of new life.
Let your memory and deeds rain down upon us
and allow us to grow from your wisdom and experience.
Life is a storm raging across the world,
and just as a storm rages, it must also eventually end.
But everything it touches remembers.
(Forgive us.)"
As Taerus let the tent flap fall behind him, he hears the tale end of a conversation between Rat, Shakan, Vax, and their halfling friend Odimar. Apparently, his tent mate Yolonon and his girlfriend Bekah had gone back down the trail to the stone tower they’d found earlier. Annoyed and frustrated by the hormones of youths, the Mudwangs cannot help but pursue. Giving Gnarlden and Pöl a brief update, the Mudwangs and Rat take off the pursue the runaways.
After traveling down the southern pathway, the men come upon a small campfire where Yolo is coming to the ending to a truly epic tale of his outrunning a giant badger. Before he could finish, though, Rat interrupted using his best fatherly voice to break up the hangout and ensure the lad's girlfriend, Bekah, was safe. To her credit, she apologized for their carelessness and offered help if they needed anything regarding Wobar's death or Shakan's trial.
With the students gathered and headed back to camp, the Mudwangs took a moment to take in this storied “stone tower,” which in fact was a well established and built up set of Way Stones. The Mudwangs had encountered several set in their journeys across Virpresque, and the ring of mushrooms seemed familiar, almost comforting. As Rat remarked on his limited knowledge of these stones he’d heard referred to as “Kind’ale’wey,” the small fire Yolo had built sputtered out. While they continued to examine the weathered monoliths, the wailing winds from the north suddenly ceased. And when Taerus approached the base of the stone tower, where it seemed a granite chair was set, the embers erupted into a towering bonfire.
Atop each of the stones a similar fire burns. The Mudwangs gather tighter in the midst of the stones, preparing for an assailant or threat. Instead, a gravelly voice calls out from the darkness: “Who are you? Have you come to desecrate this place? What is it you are here for?” At this, Rat, Shakan, Taerus, and Vax each explain they are chaperones to the students, protectors. The voice presses this thread, asking whether they would give their lives to protect others. When they unanimously answer yes, if it were the right thing to do, a weathered figure emerges from the stone-tower fire.
With glowing eyes and twisting antlers reaching out from under his waist-length grew hair, the figure points to them and says the word “Hea’lit’thai.” Taerus repeats this word, recalling it as the last word he heard in Buckwatch Outpost before passing out. At this response, from behind (or within?) the shaman comes the spectral blue form of their Hylgee familiar, a blue eyed direwolf, the same that had watched over them in the Bloodwoods earlier that day.
