(2024-08-30) Blood and Venom

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Author:	Alli
Summary:	Annibeth, Ionala, Jonas, Maisha and Mayellen continue their investigation into the Vilebranch trolls of the Hinterlands, and they come upon some deeply troubling developments. ~2000 words.
Rating:	T for Teen

Arc: Hinterlands

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After a week of peaceful daily life at Stormfeather Outpost in the Hinterlands, the Cobalt Eye reconvenes to continue looking into the Vilebranch troll problem.

[Maisha]: Okay, ready ta head back inta Jintha'Alor? Fraggar said he needed some more o' those spiders.

Annibeth stretches and yawns.

[Jonas]: Aye.

[Mayellen]: If my ride's ready.
Mayellen winks slyly at Annibeth.

Annibeth fires up the chopper.
[Annibeth]: Hop in!
Annibeth grins.

The team rides south towards Jintha’alor, on horse, ram and chopper. Then we start our usual efforts of fighting trolls and peacefully collecting hand-sized spiders.

[Maisha]: Even if it turns out ta just be usual troll shenanigans, I'm glad we got ta spend some time up here.

[Mayellen]: Oh, me too.

[Maisha]: I think I was gettin' a touch homesick.

[Mayellen]: This place has been good for my soul.

Maisha smiles at Mayellen.

Jonas smiles at her too.

[Mayellen]: Your mother came by earlier, Maisha, but you missed her. Was just me there.

[Maisha]: Oh, aye? How's she doin'?

[Mayellen]: Apparently she's been fighting up in the Plaguelands? Had some stories about undead Scarlet Crusaders.

[Annibeth]: Creepy.

[Maisha]: Oh, wow. Should we be doin' somethin' like that?

[Mayellen]: Anyway she told me to tell you she loves you and she's proud of you. And glad you're helping out here.

[Maisha]: She… really? She said that?

[Mayellen]: She did.

[Annibeth]: D'awwww.

Mayellen smiles a little wistfully.

Maisha smiles quietly.

[Annibeth]: So cute. Maisha's mommy loves her li'l Maishums.

Maisha blushes. "I… I mean, she's a lot ta live up to. An' I'm the littlest."

Jonas loooms behind Mayellen.

Mayellen cuddles up against Jonas.

[Annibeth]: Yeah? She a big deal?

[Maisha]: Been around for a real long time, everybody knows her, in the clan, nearabouts.

[Mayellen]: She fought in the War of Three Hammers, she said.

[Annibeth]: Wuzzat?

Maisha blinks at Annibeth.

[Mayellen]: The War of Three Hammers is the war that divided the dwarves into the three clans.

[Annibeth]: Oh, wow.

[Maisha]: Aye, we were all together in th' beginnin'. Bronzebeard, Wildhammer an' Dark Iron.

[Annibeth]: So, what was the big disagreement?

[Maisha]: Mostly, who would be in charge. Between the three big clans. So in th' end we went our separate ways. My people went ta Grim Batol.

[Annibeth]: Wait…but I thought you said the war divided you into the clans.

[Maisha]: Oh, not quite like that. The clans existed an' we were in 'em. But we were all part of a bigger dwarf nation.

[Annibeth]: Ohhh, okay. Like if Westfall were to break off and be like, 'we're gonna be our own kingdom now'.

[Maisha]: Aye, somethin' like.

Annibeth might have thought about this before.

[Maisha]: Anyhow, my folk went to another mountain, and then there was a fight wi' the Dark Irons. My ma would've been there for that, too.

[Mayellen]: Oh, I didn't even think of that. Grim Batol.

[Annibeth]: So she's a big war hero?

Mayellen shudders.

[Maisha]: Aye. I think so.

[Annibeth]: Guess I can see why'd you'd feel like you gotta live up to that.

[Maisha]: Aye, I'm a peacetime child. I ne'er even saw Grim Batol 'fore it got all cursed. I think that's why my people are more keen on the open air.
[Maisha]: But now, with war comin' on again… might be time for us all to do somethin' heroic.

[Mayellen]: Don't we all the time?

[Maisha]: Well, I s'pose…
[Maisha]: It just doesn't feel terrifyin'. More like workin' with friends.

[Annibeth]: I'll settle for just doin' something. Don't gotta be heroic. But I don't think I can stand on the sidelines.

Mayellen nods at Annibeth.

Having collected far too many hand-sized spiders for an ordinary person’s comfort, we head back to Fraggar.

Fraggar Thundermantle says: Hmm, ye got another batch o' those spiders?

Maisha gestures to Mayellen to hand them over.

Fraggar Thundermantle says: Looking at the last batch, I was starting ta think… but surely no…
Fraggar peers at Mayellen's spiders. That is not a double entendre. "By Kurdran's beard… I was right. Dark magic's at work here."

Stop looking at Jonas' wife's spiders, Fraggar.

Fraggar Thundermantle says: This is goin' ta require more investigation.
Fraggar Thundermantle says: I'm afraid I am goin' ta ask ye to go into more peril, Donnall forgive me.

[Mayellen]: We should be fine.

Fraggar Thundermantle says: Collectin' spiders is one thing, but we need ta know more about the dark magic they're infused with.
Fraggar Thundermantle says: I do no' recall if ye knew, but the Vilebranch trolls here were always worshippers of the foul god Hakkar, the loa of blood.

[Mayellen]: Oh, actually, Cobalt Company has quite a bit of experience with those types of trolls.

Fraggar Thundermantle says: He was a sick and twisted entity, but he was defeated long ago. It does no' stop those trolls from tryin' ta bring him back, o'er and o'er.

[Mayellen]: It's true. Just a week or two ago they were at it again.

[Annibeth]: Persistent cusses.

Mayellen smiles wryly.

Fraggar Thundermantle says: Oh, aye? That's lucky. That may be what we're up against. They're still stirring their cauldrons, the ones they fill with blood years ago.

[Jonas]: … that's got to be nasty by now.

Fraggar Thundermantle says: They're either holding onto hope for a long-dead spirit, or they're up to something new and just as sinister. I need ye to bring me vessel o' whatever blood they're usin'.

[Maisha]: Samples o' old blood? Reckon we can do that.

[Annibeth]: I mean…gross, but sure.

[Maisha]: Let's get to it.

Ionala quietly joins the team.

Maisha smiles at Nala. "Glad ye could make it. Hope ye're enjoyin' the Hinterlands, troll blood or no'."

[Ionala]: It's pretty! Troll ziggurats notwithstanding.

We head out to collect some old, possibly-spoiled troll blood.

[Jonas]: Some of us have sensitive noses, if you don't mind.
Jonas hangs back from the cauldron, his lip curled.

[Annibeth]: Ooh, good point, Jonas.

[Maisha]: We won't ask ye to carry it, then, Jonas.

We fight a number of trolls. We find some blood cauldrons, but not many.

[Maisha]: Seems not a whole lot of it, is there?

[Annibeth]: Maybe they already used it up…

[Maisha]: I wonder what connection to the spiders…

Mayellen summons a felguard.

[Jhuuzugul]: Who dares to summon me?

[Mayellen]: Me, Jhuuzugul. It's always me that dares summon you.
[Mayellen]: Now shut up.

Maisha lets out a hearty chuckle.

[Annibeth]: Not real bright, is he?

[Mayellen]: He really isn't.
[Mayellen]: But it does mean I don't have to worry about him trying to manipulate me.

[Maisha]: Aye, maybe it's good fer a meat shield demon.

[Annibeth]: Unless…what if he just wants you to think he's stupid?

[Jonas]: Mayellen likes her men not real bright.

Annibeth laughs.

Maisha chuckles at Jonas.

Mayellen giggles at Jonas. "Oh stop."
[Mayellen]: Honestly once he gets over being mad about being pulled away from his poker game in the Nether or whatever, he really seems to enjoy beating things up.

[Annibeth]: Hehe…demons playin' poker in the Nether…

[Jonas]: He's probably good at it. Can he even make more than one face?

[Ionala]: Someone should do a painting of that.

Maisha laughs. "A passle o' demons round a poker table."
[Maisha]: It'd make a funny painting.

[Mayellen]: Now you made me stare at his face, Jonas. Why did you do that?

[Jonas]: I'm not real bright.

Mayellen giggles at Jonas.

Jonas grins back at her.

We fight more trolls, collect more possibly-rancid blood.

[Maisha]: I do hope they're no' callin' hakkar. Ye said Cobalt had some trouble with that recent?

[Mayellen]: Yes, I was looking at some reports.
[Mayellen]: It was far from here, but yes, there was some activity from the Hakkar cult.

[Maisha]: Hm, that's no' good. I'd always thought of that more as a southern troll problem.

[Mayellen]: I think the reports were from down south.
[Mayellen]: Not south south, but, not up here in Khaz Modan.
[Mayellen]: Or wait, is this still Khaz Modan?

[Maisha]: Hmm, we’re a bit north o’ Khaz Modan here, but I take yer meaning. I guess we're all coordinated 'round the map now, so it could be these ones are communicating.

[Mayellen]: Anyway, the trolls Cobalt Blade fought were down south in the swamps.

[Maisha]: At least they stopped em, then, aye?

[Mayellen]: It seems so. They stopped a specific ritual that was happening.

We collect rather a lot of blood from cauldrons, all told.

[Maisha]: Now that has got to be enough blood. Hopefully Fraggar will know what ta make of it.

[Mayellen]: All I could do with it would be to tell you if any of it was from the father of anyone else.

Maisha smiles. "Father of a Soulflayer maybe?"

[Mayellen]: Sounds like a nasty thing to call someone.

[Maisha]: It does sound like a bit of a profanity, doesn't it? Son of a Soulflayer.

[Mayellen]: Those motherflayin' soulflayers!

Maisha laughs.

Annibeth laughs at Mayellen.

We arrive at the dwarf camp at the base of Jintha’Alor.

[Maisha]: We've got blood fer ye, Fraggar. It didn't come easy.

[Mayellen]: Turns out they don't just leave it all sitting out in one big bucket.

Fraggar Thundermantle says: Oh aye? Let me see it…
Fraggar Thundermantle says: *Takes a look at the blood.* This is not just blood… it's venom! Spiders, venom… I've a though about this, but I hope I'm wrong.
Fraggar Thundermantle says: To sort this, I’ll have ta ask ye to go to the summit now, Cobalt Eye. Our warriors won't go past the final gates. They say it's still as a tomb; not a sound, not a breath, not a hint of motion.

[Mayellen]: That's unsettling.

Fraggar Thundermantle says: They think it's a trap, but based on what you've brought me, I'm worried it's something even more sinister.
Fraggar Thundermantle says: I need ye to go to the altar, investigate what happened… and bring me back ANY sort of mystical object or dark idol you find!

[Annibeth]: Sounds spooky.

[Mayellen]: Whatever it is, I have faith we can handle it.
[Mayellen]: I understand at least the basics of how blood-related magic works, so hopefully I can be of help.

Fraggar Thundermantle says: Ye don't have to fight yer way to the top, though. Sharpbeak an' his clutchmates will be happy ta carry Cobalt Company.

[Mayellen]: Oh, wonderful.

Maisha smiles happily. Gryphons!

Mayellen thanks Fraggar Thundermantle.

[Annibeth]: Swell!

[Ionala]: Light bless you!

Sharpbeak and his friends happily fly us to the top of the ziggurat-city.

[Maisha]: Thank ye, Sharpbeak!

We have to make our way through a cave, and then we emerge at what is clearly some kind of ritual amphitheater. There are rows of seating rising on all sides of a central altar. Scattered around the altar - as well as up throughout the seats - are many, many dead trolls. The scene is eerily silent.

Maisha looks around at all the dead trolls scattered around the altar.

[Maisha]: We did no' do any of this.
[Maisha]: Why are they all dead?

[Mayellen]: This… this is some kind of mass sacrifice site.

[Maisha]: Is this… somethin' familiar from yer warlocking?

[Annibeth]: This is real macobber.

[Jonas]: Macobb— oh, aye.
[Jonas]: It is macabre.

[Annibeth]: Right, 'zackly.

Jonas nods at Anni.

[Maisha]: Must mean they've jus' done somethin' drastic.

[Mayellen]: It is… not a good feeling to encounter a rite that has clearly already taken place.

[Maisha]: No, not at all. Whatever they're plannin', it's underway.

[Jonas]: Any magnitude, really. But this -

[Mayellen]: So many…

[Maisha]: So many dead.

[Mayellen]: Do you suppose they volunteered, or…?

[Maisha]: Maybe? It's their own people, aye?

[Jonas]: Most of them are just… curled up. It doesn't look like they fought.

Mayellen nods gravely.

[Maisha]: We'll need ta tell Fraggar, an' see what can be done. I… I'm no' sure I'm comfortable going back down through all the trolls after this.
Maisha shivers.

[Mayellen]: Me either.
[Mayellen]: Let's get out of here.

[Annibeth]: Yeah…enough of this creepshow.

[Maisha]: Let's hearth, an' meet up in Stormfeather.

[Annibeth]: Sounds fine to me.

Jonas nods grimly.

[Ionala]: Yes. I like this plan.

Maisha pulls out her hearthstone.

Troubled, the team heads out. Are they too late? TO BE CONTINUED!