A/N: And here's the next chapter! Our heroes with the aid of their new guide make their way through the depths of the swamp. What might they find?
Disclaimer: I don't own Dungeons and Dragons. I only own my original ideas.
Chapter 32: Through the Swamps
We set off into the swamps once more with our new guide leading the way. We made our away from Vorlianax's lair, and into was seemed to be unclaimed lands. As evening set in, we made camp on a relative dry spot. As we rested, we got to speaking with our guide.
"So, how did your tribe end up working with Vorlianax?" asked Narcrath.
"He made his lair here many years ago," said Garurt, "well before my egg hatched, so I've only the stories of the elders. They say he came here after the destruction he was famous for, destroying the city of the Yuan-Ti who were enslaving our people. Vorlianax is not our lord and master exactly, but we have a agreement of mutual protection with him. We protect the area from lesser threats, he keeps away things beyond our abilities to deal with".
"I see, there's always more to the story," said Krisyra, "can you think of anything, anything at all that may have led to this condition he is afflicted with?"
"There is one thing," said Garurt, "Shortly before he fell ill, a group of cultists were attempting to preach their beliefs in a village further to the east. He destroyed them, but this condition he now has appeared a few days after".
"Sounds like it's possible that either one of the cultists placed a curse upon him, or the being they worshipped was either angered or impressed at Vorlianax's power," said Charles.
"No matter the case, the world's better off with Vorlianax in control of his own body, and not a slave to a demon," I said
"Then we are in agreement," said Garurt, "I heard what he asked of you. Do you think we'll find the cure we seek?"
"I agree with what Volianax said, if there's anywhere we might find a treatment, this temple is likely it," said Lydratir, "To the cults that worship demons, being remade into a direct servant of their lord would be seen as a blessing in their twisted ideals. As such, they often have ways to remove such 'blessings' from those who act against the one they serve".
The night continued quietly, and the next morning we set off again. After travelling for a few hours we ran into trouble. A trio of crocodiles, two normal and one particularly large one, emerged from the swamps, looking for prey.
I reacted first, unleashing my fire against the two normal sized crocodiles. Both growled at the damage dealt, but didn't fall. Garurt moved in to attack one of the crocodiles I'd injured, taking it down with two mighty swings of his greataxe. Narcrath launched a shatter spell, but both of the remaining crocodile seemed to resist it. Krisyra cast a wave of green flames, which seemed to adhere to our foes but dealing them no damage. One of the crocodiles moved up to Garurt, and its jaws clamped down on his arm. Charles stepped into assist me, his greatsword finishing off the crocodile. Lydratir drew back his bow, and put an arrow into the giant crocodile. The giant crocodile put on a burst of speed and tried to catch me in its jaws, but I dodged away, as well as evading the swipe of its tail.
I retaliated with a strike of my tail, setting it off balance for a moment. Garurt brought his greataxe around, wounding the giant crocodile further, and then followed up with another swing. Narcrath unleashed a chromatic orb, zapping the giant crocodile with lightning. Krisyra lobbed a small flame at the crocodile, wearing it down further. Charles maneuvered into position, and slashed at the crocodile's flank, and it looked to be nearly defeated. Lydratir fired another arrow, but his shot went wide. The giant crocodile whipped around, and caught me with its jaws, resulting in a snarl of pain from me and a blast of flames to coalesce around the crocodile. I brought my claws to bear, and tore into the crocodile, finishing it off.
As the dust settled, we paused briefly to mend our wounds, and Garurt used some of the knives he carried to harvest meat from the crocodiles for a quick meal. We continued on, pushing our way past rotting vegetation, thinking nothing of the plants around us as the day wore on. Then, some of the plants began moving of their own accord, gathering into a vaguely humanoid shape.
"It's the Weed that Walks!" said Garurt.
The creature moved forwards, a roiling mass of plants. I recognized it as a shambling mound. As I saw it I remembered something.
"Don't use lightning!" I said, "this thing absorbs it!"
Narcrath nodded, and fired off a chromatic orb as a blast of acid, searing the shambling mound a bit. I moved up, slashing at our foe with my claws. Lydratir tool aim and put an arrow into the shambling mound. Charles stepped up, and slashed our foe with his greatsword. Garurt found a clear path, and came in swinging, striking two good blows against the shambling mound. Krisyra tried lobbing a flame at our for, but it burned out quickly. The shambling mound brought the masses of vines that made up its arms down, attempting to strike Charles and Garurt. Garurt dodged away, but Charles was struck. As he was hit, the vines wrapped around him, binding him.
Narcrath fired off another orb of acid, wearing our foe down further. I slashed at the shambling mound with my claws again, and it looked like it might fall to pieces soon. Lydratir took aim again, and put another arrow into our foe. This one seemed to go deeper, passing through the outer vines to something at the core of the mound. Charles took this opportunity to push his way free of its grasp, at took a step back to reassess the situation. Garurt swung away with his axe once more, the first swing missing, but the hitting its mark. With this last blow, the shambling mound fell.
Once we were past that threat, we continued on our path. Before long, we came to a clearing. Before us atop a small hill was our destination.
A/N: And there we go! With this, the party is officially level 5! Next time, our heroes venture into the temple, so see what horrors await them. See you then!