85th adventure – “The Great Plague”

Party followed the bear to a filthy, murky river with oily greenish slime
As they prepared to attack the bear, another one a bit larger appeared upstream
They moved behind the trees observing the situation
Both bears were acting strange, both were obviously diseased
Some moments later both bears sensed them and started aggressively behaving
Party prepared their weapons, bears charged and the fight began
Smaller female bear avoided Djimbo, but the other male bear charged right at him
Djimbo tried to calm him but it didn’t work, bear clashed his teeth on his shield
While Djimbo fought alone against the new bear, others attacked the female bear
Drake jumped at the nearest tree using higher ground and shooting his arrows
Bron attacked with his mighty hammer hitting the bear legs
Diano pierced the belly of the bear with his rapier while Braern attacked with his quarterstaff hitting the bear’s head
Djimbo deflected some paws directed at him, but he got bitten in the process
Others finally killed the female bear and joined Djimbo in a fight against the larger creature
They managed to kill the bear but Braern took some heavy hits
After the fight Bron magically healed some of Djimbo’s and Braern’s wounds
Water was definitely polluted and spreading the disease, party decided to follow the river upstream
An hour later they arrived at a clearing near the small mountain range with huge rock plateau from where waterfall drops into river
There was no clear path up the rocks, it was some 18 meters high. “We need to climb” – said Diano
As they looked around for the best way up, Diano noticed some trees were lying around, torn from the ground, fallen from the cliff above
Braern and Drake sent their bird scouts to check if danger lies on top of the plateau, both, raven and hawk returned with no danger signal
Diano started climbing slowly while others prepared, removing excess equipment for easier climbing
When Diano reached the top, he saw 5 out of 6 trees on the plateau completely torn, claws on rock like something big landed here
He used his rope with grappling hook and managed to stuck it on some rock, lowering the rope to the party
Djimbo tried first, but he was too heavy in his armor, his hands slipped and he started falling
Everybody braced for impact but Djimbo activated the powers withing his armor and he slowly descended to the ground light as a feather
Braern turned into a bird and flew up to Diano in matter of seconds, Drake started climbing and Bron soon followed
In the meantime, Diano and Braern heard something moving from the water, a long vine peeked from the greenish river
Then another one and another one, total of 6 vines rushed from the water and attacked them
It grabbed Diano by the legs and started pulling it toward the water, where something black was lying dormant there
Braern was also grabbed but both of them managed to cut the vine
Diano throwed his Razor and spoke the command word, Razor was dancing in the air and fighting one of the vines
Armed with staff and some daggers, Braern and Diano engaged the Vine monster
Others finally climbed the rocks and joined the fight; vines were easily cut but hard to hit
Djimbo charged into the water and with Diano they finished the monster by thrusting their swords into it
A dead black body of roots and vines was slowly taken by the waterfall and washed away by the river
Green slime was still in the river, coming from a huge cave entrance not far away, behind one of the larger boulders
“These claws were made by something huge” – said Drake
“Yeah, and the torn trees, huh, like something landed here, something big” – said Diano
“Large, with wings, sharp claws, tears rock and trees, smells like a dragon” – said Djimbo while putting back his armor
They all looked at each other and Bron though: “Hope it’s just a wyvern”
As they slowly entered a huge circular cave, a horrible smell was felt, burning their senses
On the other side of the cave, water was exiting through walls and forming a small pond of water, dark, murky and greenish
A source of the disease was seen in the pond, something was pulsating and discharging blackness into the river
As they approached, they could see a large egg, some 2 meters in diameter, oddly covered in moss
They were afraid to go into the water so they decided to use all of their ropes to try and pull the egg out of the water
Diano tied the knots making some kind of net and party started pulling the egg
As it reached the pond edges, party started pulling it out, but one of the knots loosened and the egg dropped and hit the ground
It broke and immediately a green burst of vapor came out of it filling the cave and hurting party’s eyes, nose and throat
Djimbo and Drake safely ran out of the cave, but Braern, Bron and Diano felt the pain burning in their lungs as they ran out
“We fuked up, lets burn this cave and anything inside” – said Djimbo
“Yes, we need to clean this mess now” – Braern agreed
“Gather these branches and throw them inside, I will use these magical fire arrows I have and burn the place down” – said Drake
Party gathered all the wood, vines and branches and packed them inside
Drake used his last 2 fire arrows and as they landed inside, a large explosion happened, burning everything inside the cave
As the fire was setting out, river started becoming clear, there was no green slime in it
Party cautiously entered and inspected the cave and the remains of the “dragon” egg
Diano took his knife and filled his pots with samples of the egg, some moss, eggshell, outer and inner egg samples
They trashed the remains of the egg, Braern casted purify on it just in case and they buried it deep in the ground
“I believe, at the end, we nevertheless managed to stop the spread of the disease” – said Bron
“Yes, and nature will find the balance as it always does” – Braern agreed
Party used the rest of the vines from the fallen trees and made ropes to get down from the plateau
“Let’s hurry, before its mother returns” – Diano said with a sour smile on his face
Party traveled back through the forest and headed back to the city of Filur
Meanwhile, to the east, in a city of Songhall Arni was working on a cure for the plague
His mind was fixed on the Julian words:
“A dragon known as the Wandering Wyrm appeared in the east of the Inner Sea and spread plagues everywhere it went. It left Aglarond beset by a ravaging disease, and now it begins in Impitur, it began spreading an entirely different affliction, that first infested the infected with maggots before transforming them into undead horrors. The plague moves westward, Sarshel is infected, and it now threatens Songhall. We are here to learn how its spreading and try to stop it or slow it down until cure is found.”
Arni stationed himself in an Ilmater laboratory where he used various plants experimenting on their impact on the plague
His research was done in a temple library, with the help of the local priests
Plants were gathered throughout the city from various merchants and after mixing them he experimented on sick patients in the outer city
Arni sent a courier back to Filur to get his elven book on herbs and plants, to try some elven medicine
He also sent a letter to Bricklash, for his friends, saying that the plague spreads from east and that he will stay and help develop the cure
He worked closely with Sir Julian Shaw, an Ilmater paladin of the Triad and with Sister Lela “one that endures” of the Ilmater faith
Back at Filur, party arrived after 2 days of travel, tired, exhausted, but filled with knowledge that they stopped the spread of the disease
Diano and Braern immediately went to visit Bricklash, to see if he knows more about the samples Diano was carrying
Bricklash was thrilled with the samples, he wanted to buy them of Diano’s hands but Diano could only give him half of the samples
Other half was promised to Tyr priests, so they agreed that Diano will give him half for free, and the rest will be taken to the temple
Bron and Drake went to the Tyr temple to report all their findings, and samples Diano provided
Bron also visited Ilmater temple and got some interesting advices on the ritual he wants to perform on Djimbo’s memory
A new set of special candles was provided to Bron from the high priest that would influence Djimbo’s mind when he takes the ritual
Djimbo took the free time and searched for a good armorer in the city to fix his armor and shield
He agreed to pay some 93gp for repairs and to wait 1 day until the armorer finishes, he also did some small repairs on his sword for 1gp
He rented a room in the Warriors Lodge Inn, bathed himself and ate expensive dinner, some good wild boar meat with mushrooms
Diano and Drake spent some time in Brons house waiting for Bron to finish all his doings with the temple
Later, when he came back, Bron healed Diano and himself, and they went to sleep early this evening
Tomorrow, Djimbo took his repaired armor and went to see others in the Brons house, they were not there
Party got up early and Bron went to check the findings, that the priest has on the egg samples
But Bron was met with many priests and guards in front of the temple, High priest explained the situation to Bron
“I had a meeting with the king and I have dire news” – priest said
2 priests start chanting something and after they were done, both nodded positively to the high priest
“A plague spreads from the east and it will cover whole Impiltur soon”
“Samples you provided match the plague and you my friend have also been infected”
“Unfortunately, this plague cannot be healed with magic, there is no cure at the moment and, sorry to say, but its fatal as far as we know”
“You and your party have spread the disease to one of my priests, and probably to many people in the city”
“All of the diseased must be gathered, spread must be stopped” – he concluded and sent many guards and priest throughout the city
Guards arrested and escorted Drake, Diano and all the people they were in contact and brought them in front of the temple
Some priests reported: “Bricklash was not infected, and Ilum was nowhere to be found, Bricklash said Ilum left yesterday via portal”
“Also, Djimbo is not affected” – said another priest who brought Djimbo at his free will
“Braern was also missing, we couldn’t find him” – said the other priest
High priest gave two options to Bron, either you come with other diseased people and take tests to find the cure
Or, leave the city and go where you are most needed, to the center of the disease, to try and find the cure by yourself
Bron struck a deal: “With good intentions, me and my friends will try to help in finding the cure, we will leave immediately”
“Best start and good chances are at the city of Songhall, there, most intelligent and wise people have already begun work on the cure”
“Avoid cities and people, we have reports from many villages and cities that they have infected people” – he continued
“As far as we know, it started in Sarshel, spread eastward to Songhall, Filur, Dilpur, Hlammach and even Lyrabar”
“Shite, my town got a lot of immigrants from Sarshel, I need to check things home” – said Djimbo
Diano explained to priests that they suspect the plague is passed through water and that fire works great against the disease
He also told them the exact location of the buried egg and reminded them to search other rivers that were greenish and had oily slime
Party agreed, Drake, Diano and Bron will go to Songhall, and Djimbo decided to go to his town Relgar’s Ford to see if there are problems
Party took the rest of the egg samples, figuring it will help them in their research in Songhall
As they were leaving, high priest said: “Best of luck friends, may the Tyr guide you in your search for the cure”
Party left the city of filur, Djimbo took the last horse they had
“We will stay in contact, send letters as soon as you can and as soon as you find anything” – said Bron to Djimbo
“Same goes for you guys” – Djimbo said as they separated on the road
Arni hadn’t have a normal sleep since he came to Songhall, he was too busy and into his experiments, people were dying
He expanded his research on mushrooms and learned a lot of new recipes
All his herbalism knowledge was put to the test, and even he combined it with Lela’s magic, and Julian tested it on the infected people
He took his findings and wrote them down, here are some of his notes:

• LEARNINGS
  • There are two strains – one that leads to regular death and one that leads to worms and undead
  • Some people show resistance and most of them drank alcohol
  • Worms explode into spores in the final stage. They are not poisonous.
  • Wounds have different sizes, but they are always insect bites. Black, white and red. red part has poison in it.
  • Worms can grow only in live flesh
  • Worms are dying out after three days if put only in blood. Only big ones explode.
  • First strain phases: Wounds -> Pain -> Fever – > Infection -> Blood cloths -> Heart stops
  • Second strain phases: Wounds -> Pain -> Fever -> Water in lungs -> Hunger -> Maggots -> Undeath
• EXAMINATIONS
  • Help – Learn which insects could make such wounds – All
  • Questions – Check what people ate/drank/did and try to learn of differences – Alcohol lead
  • Worms – See how worms develop over time
  • Worms – Try to use blood of immune people
  • Questions – Check sick animals. Do they have the same wounds? – No
  • Wounds -Try applying alcohol to wounds – No
  • Wounds – Check if cauterizing wounds helps – No
  • Wounds – Check if slow poison helps – No
  • Books – Plants that heal plague: BISHOP’S WEED, MASTERWORT
  • Books – Plants that counter poison: BASIL (RUE, ALKANET, ASH, NAPWEED)
  • Worms -Try mixing alcohol – Slows
  • Worms – Try mixing „resistant“ blood
  • Worms – Is the vapor poisonous? – No. Is it magical? – Yes. Necromancy
  • Spreading – Does blood or saliva infect the blood? – Yes
  • Spreading – Do undead infect the blood? – No
  • Questions – Are plants affected in any way? – Yes. Wilting
  • Books & Help – Check for mushrooms with similar effects
  • Worms – Try mixing herbs
  • Future vision – Predict how specimen will react to plant mixture
  • Help – Ask Loria if she has any experience – she can help with collecting plants
• INGREDIENTS
  • Plants that repel insects – PENNYROYAL, WORMWOOD, DELREAN, BASTIT
  • Mushrooms that repel insects – Crawlbane
  • Plants with antiseptic effects – THYME, WORMWOOD/ABSINTHE, DITTANY
  • Plants that relieve pain from stings – DWARF MALLOW
  • Plants that cure diseases – HARE’S EARS, MELANDER, OEDE*
  • Plants that speed up disease recovery – LAISHABERRIES
  • Plants that help with fever – ASH, ATTANAR, BORAGE, SARACEN’S CONFOUND
  • Plants that cure infection – ADDER’S TONGUE, COLTSFOOT, MARIGOLD, TAMARISKE
  • Plants that clear lungs – LUNGWORT
  • Mushrooms that cause cataleptic trance – Deathmock
  • Plants that help with hunger – FENNEL
  • Plants that prevent rising as undead – DOG ROSE
• RECEIPES
  • Prevention balm (smell, skin burns) – PENNYROYAL (repel), WORMWOOD*(repel), DELREAN (repel), BASTIT (repel), DWARF MALLOW*(repel), Crawlbane (repel)
  • Prevention balm 2.0 (worked) – FALSIFAL (burn, heal), KELVENTARI (burn), ALOE (burn), BASE MULLEIN (burn), MARSH MALLOW (burn), THYME*(smell), MARIGOLD* (soothing), pleasant smelling plants
  • Potion for all stages (didn’t work) – MELANDER (disease), OEDE*, LAISHABERRIES*(disease), ALCOHOL
  • Potion for all stages 2.0 – MELANDER (disease), OEDE*(disease), LAISHABERRIES*(disease), BISHOP’S WEED (plague), DRAGONWORT (plague), MASTERWORT (plague), Cure disease, Protection from evil
  • Balm for early wounds (worked) – THYME* (antiseptic, infection), WORMWOOD**/ABSINTHE (antiseptic), RUE (antiseptic*), DITTANY (antiseptic), DWARF MALLOW*(pain)
  • Treatment for early wounds (worked) – TEMPIN* poultice (draw poison), BASIL (draw poison), BLACK ROSE* (draw poison), Cure poison, Cure disease
  • Potion for fever (worked)- ASH (fever), BORAGE* (fever weak), SARACEN’S CONFOUND (fever)
  • Treatment for fever (worked) – ATTANAR forehead (fever)
  • Balm for infected wounds (worked)- MARIGOLD* (infection, soothing), TAMARISKE (infection), WHITECANDLE* (pain), PALLAST* (pain), ALCOHOL, Cure disease
  • Treatment for infected wounds (couldn’t make it) – COLTSFOOT* poultice (infection)
  • Potion for blood clots & heart (worked) – CHERVIL (dissolve clots), SPRING ADONIS (heart relief), CALLIN (heart attacks), Cure disease
  • Tea for lung disease (worked) – LUNGWORT**(remove liquid), ARLAN (respiratory), WHITE BRYONY (pneumonia), Protection from evil, Cure disease
  • Tea for hunger (couldn’t make it) – FENNEL** (hunger), Protection from evil
  • Treatment for hunger (gave up) – UR (food substitute)
  • Delay treatment- Petrify, ASHLINE (remove petrify)
  • Treatment for killing worms (worked) – LEOPARD’S BANE (kill animals), Protection from evil
  • Tea for worm stage (didn’t work) – Deathmock (coma), Protection from evil
  • Potion for last resort (didn’t work in vision)- GEFNUL (cure or kill and prevent undead), Protection from evil
  • Treatment for last resort (didn’t work) – DOG ROSE keep (prevent undead)