The word has reached the streets that an Iron Guard patrol has gone missing in the Gray Forest near the Lodge. Troops are scanning the forest but the mist, the odd sounds, the biting of tusks has cause those superstitous to withdrawal from the immediate area. A commander grumbles that he'll need to wait for the weather to clear to go deeper into the forest. It's foolish to go in there if all you're doing is stumbling around.

Titus, a young wolfhound, Joan arrive, following Gaston.

Well, foolhardiness is something that Jordan does indeed like to do. He's not on horseback, this time, clad in his plate armor, as usual, and this time, the alaricite sword that he carries by his side is already unsheathed. His cloak billows with the cold breeze but he's waiting for something.

There comes a time when one must step up, gear up, and head out. For vengeance... On pigs. Okay, so it's not necessarily a real pig, but Asher doesn't care. He's got warm leather, a small reinforced vial with a cork on his belt, the weapons with which he is accustomed, and... A mask, which looks like a bird's beak, with glassy eyes. It makes him look rather like a monster, in a way; but every time he breathes out it smells less of death and more of... Herbs? Spice? Lovely. He too is on foot, and ready to fight whatever needs to be fought.

Gaston wields Fang of Cloudspine.

Receiving word of the need for help out in the Gray Forest, Marquis Gaston Blackram had sent for his armor, and upon receiving and donning it, he had journeyed out of the city as fast as he could to join with the search for the Iron Guard Patrol and to do what he could to help. His large weapon is already drawn as he moves to join Jordan and the others as his eyes scan the mist.

Dycard makes his way up the road towards the hunting party, still trying to do up his swordbelt while stifling a yawn, and managing neither. His eyes are dark with lack of sleep, and his tunic looks as though it's been slept in - either that, or thrown in a heap on the floor and retrieved just before he left Arx for the forest. He makes a beeline for the people in armour when he spots them through bleary eyes, and lifts a hand to his hair in an attempt to make it look as though he hasn't been dragged through a hedge backwards.

Someone wearing A dark lensed plague doctor's mask checked perception + survival at difficulty 30, rolling 1 higher.

Gaston checked perception + survival at difficulty 30, rolling 32 higher.

Jordan checked perception + survival at difficulty 30, rolling 22 higher.

Dycard checked perception + survival at difficulty 30, rolling 2 lower.

The mists are so thick that the party finds themselves stumbling about. It's hard to get your bearings. Dycard gets so turned around, he almost gets sucked into the mist. Perhaps another keen eyed person should stop him. For those who are able to find their way, a few drops of red fall are in the snow among a flurry of hoof prints start to guide the group to a clearing.

Someone wearing A dark lensed plague doctor's mask gives a slight harrumph of annoyance about the hidden nature of the pig. However, when Dycard gets turn about, the man in the mask - Asher - does whistle as loudly as he can towards Dycard. Of course, that whistle is muffled by the mask. All sounds he makes are. "Best follow along, don't you wander off now. This boar will gut you. Or try."

Reaching out with a hand, Gaston claps a good natured palm to the man's shoulder and tugs him slightly to put him on the right path. His voice is low as he whispers through the mist, "This way, friend. Keep hold of my cloak if you need to." His eyes turn down to mark the blood and hoof prints, and he speaks lowly to the others, "We have blood and prints on the ground. We might be able to follow them... just stay clear not to run each other through out here."

Letting the others pull Dycard from going the wrong way, Jordan continues following those hoof prints, glancing from one side to another warily, as if expecting the boar to start attacking at any time. "I'm going to guess it isn't the boar's blood," he goes on to tell the group, slowing down so that the others can catch up.

The whistle catches Dycard's attention, setting him to wincing, and then he startles when Gaston claps a hand on his shoulder. Reaching down to take the end of the offered cloak, he tries buckling his swordbelt again and actually manages it this time. The masked man gets blinked at, Dycard saying weakly, "...Boar? How drunk was I when I took that bet?" Still, he does at least have the wit to draw his sword despite his hangover and follow along with the others.

Dycard wields Frostrage, a bluish-green steel sword.

Someone wearing A dark lensed plague doctor's mask shakes his head - the beak exaggerates that a bit. "No, likely not boar's blood. If you all smell something foul... Well, don't stay near that. Damned thing's poison is potent. Cough up blood in moments, that kind of strong." Of course, Asher's not afraid... Well, of the physical danger. "And before you ask, yes, all that from a boar. It's unnatural." He seems to have some manner knowledge of this thing. Interesting.

Austen checked perception + survival at difficulty 30, rolling 6 lower.

Jordan checked perception + survival at difficulty 30, rolling 23 higher.

Someone wearing A dark lensed plague doctor's mask checked perception + survival at difficulty 30, rolling 12 lower.

Gaston checked perception + survival at difficulty 30, rolling 7 higher.

Dycard checked perception + survival at difficulty 30, rolling 14 lower.

The path goes for a little bit. Footprints tell a story for confusion, men running, stopping and then doubling back. You follow the path of the footprints but it sends you in circles until there's a clear point where the men run for it. Some of you start to get confused, it's so hard to follow. Luckily a few keen trackers are able to keep you on the path.

The footprints, the blood suggest they were trying to get away. Right before they break the trees, a bloody handprint touches a tree, as an Iron Guard's body lays near by. Another Iron Guard lays slumped over his companion, trying to protect him. The young man laying on the ground is scared, terrified. His eyes are wild with fear as he clutches his sword, too wounded to move. The young guardsman couldn't be more than twenty years. The man protecting him is Sir Austen of the Iron Guard.

Austen has his sword drawn, crouching low and on the balls of his feet, ready to spring. His attention is split between the young guardsman he's protecting, talking quietly to him, telling him to hold on, and eyes up and around the clearing, looking for whatever it was that attacked them. The knight's normally stoic composure is cracked, his expression flitting between scared and absolutely furious.

Gaston follows along with the others. He is normally quite at home in the wilds, but the mist is so thick and the tracks so confused that even he has to slow down to make sure he stays on track. Whenever someone begins to stray off path, he reaches out to guide them back, so long as Dycard keeps hold of the end of his cloak. When they make the treeline, the Marquis curses angrily as he sees the bodies, his eyes following Austen around as he looks for the source of the confusion and attack. He does drift over toward the fallen Iron Gurad's body, crouching to roll him over and look for any faint signs of life.

The remains of the rest of their patrol lay torn in the clearing. Their bodies have been ripped to pieces in a fury. A silence in the glade is deafening, not an animal stirs nearby. The foul stench of sulfur lingers around the fallen, hinting towards the darkness of the creature that has taken more lives. Strangely Austen has managed to stay alive, unwounded even as his companions were destroyed with unnatural fury.

Though he's not able to follow the tracks easily himself, Asher has enough sense to follow those who can. It's hard to see out of that mask! When they finally spot the people, the bodies, and Sir Austen protecting the bleeding man below, Asher pulls the mask up, so that he can sniff at the air. Oh. Sulfur? Great, that's just perfect. With that, he's headed over to see about helping. He's no Mercy, but whatever can help, does. And of course he ignores the bodies. Ew. "Sir Austen, glad to see you're safe."

Dycard keeps his grip on Gaston's cloak, apparently quite willing to trust the other man to sort out directions while he keeps a watch on their surroundings - although how effective that watch is is up for debate. On spotting Austen he stops dead, his eyes going wide - at least until Gaston's cloak pulls again, at which point he comes with it. "Sir Austen," he greets the man, then turns to keep a watch while other people deal with the fallen.

"This isn't good," Jordan mutters to himself as he takes a longer look around, eyes narrowing as he takes a sharp glance here and there, before nodding to Austen. It's a clipped sort of greeting, as they don't exactly have time to socialize. "I'm going to keep watch. I don't think we should try to escort anyone out, yet. It might come back for Sir Austne."

The young guardsman whimpers, "I don't want to do...please." He sees desperate to get out of there. However, that nasty gash on his leg isn't going to make it easy for the group to escort him out.

Gaston checked willpower + occult at difficulty 15, rolling 13 higher.

Austen's hands tighten around the claymore as the sound of people approaching pulls his attention to them. He relaxes, just a little, upon seeing he knows most of them. There's a nod, a relieved expression coming to his face. "Goodman Asher, funny how our paths keep crossing like this," he says, clearly trying to make light of the situation, but his tone is weak. "It's that boar again," he says quietly. "We need to get out of here. All of us," he says, a desperate note to his voice as he nods towards the other guardsman.

Austen checked willpower + occult at difficulty 15, rolling 5 lower.

Jordan checked willpower + occult at difficulty 15, rolling 15 higher.

Dycard checked willpower + occult at difficulty 15, rolling 6 lower.

Someone wearing A dark lensed plague doctor's mask checked willpower + occult at difficulty 15, rolling 1 higher.

Drip, drip, drip, the blood falls from your ears into the snow. 5 inflicted and Dycard is harmed for minor damage.

Drip, drip, drip, the blood falls from your ears into the snow. 5 inflicted and Austen is harmed for minor damage.

Gaston kneels over fallen soldier, considering the body and the wounds present before he presses himself back up to his feet and sniffs at the air, the sulfuric scent that drifts along with the mist. Aside toward Dycard he mutters, "Don't get too far away. We may have to move quickly." His fist grips around the huge blade held in hand, shifting the point out before him as his eyes scan the mists.

Marian GM Roll checked dexterity(5) + stealth(3) at difficulty 15, rolling 11 higher.

Someone wearing A dark lensed plague doctor's mask checked perception + survival at difficulty 15, rolling 6 lower.

Austen checked perception + survival at difficulty 15, rolling 2 lower.

Dycard checked perception + survival at difficulty 15, rolling 11 higher.

Gaston checked perception + survival at difficulty 15, rolling 35 higher.

Jordan checked perception + survival at difficulty 15, rolling 14 higher.

"Too late for that. It's going to follow us." Jordan states to Austen, glancing about watchfully. He takes note of the number of victims, shaking his head slowly, before grasping Wayfarer a bit harder, more intently. "Get ready for a fight. If we wound it, it's cowardly. It'll run away. If we can't wound it right away, pray it doesn't decide to kill anymore Iron Guardsmen."

Marian GM Roll checked dexterity(5) + small wpn(5) at difficulty 15, rolling 31 higher.

Gaston checked dexterity + huge wpn at difficulty 15, rolling 33 higher.

There's a few moments of thought. Asher looks from Austen, as though he had a thought. The bodies are glimpsed and he turns from them again, to ask a simple question. "The Lodge of Petrichor, how close are we? Its defense is under the Crown, but it is still considered sacred ground, I would think? Closer than Arx, we may make it there more easily. The Right of Sanctuary should hold for a while." A look to Jordan, smirking. "Well, yes. Cowardly. But vulnerable to Diamondplate, or Alaricite. Just beware the poison, of course."

Jordan checked dexterity + medium wpn at difficulty 15, rolling 44 higher.

Marian GM Roll checked dexterity(5) + dodge(3) at difficulty 15, rolling 32 higher.

Jordan wields Wayfarer, an alaricite arming sword.

Traveling at high speed through the forest is a blur of white fur that almost melds into the snow to those that are not perceptive enough. Silence covers this beasts tracks as it travels through the forest with ease, the snow not hampering it's movements. Blood red eyes peers from the boar, the only color that is present. The gleeming white tusks hint that this beast carries it's own weapons to attack the heroes in the glade. As it breaks through the underbrush, it lunges at Austen's back.

Gaston's eyes had been scanning through the mist for the source of danger that had befallen the Iron Guard group. The hair along the back of his neck prickled eerily and perhaps that was what alerted him to the charging board as it ran straight for Austen. He lunges out, leaping before Austen and tugging Dycard along with him unless the man should let go of his cloak. Gaston's huge bladed spear lashes out at the charging board, seeking to strike true even as he yells in the face of the beast, and turn it away from Austen.

Taking his as his cue to act, Jordan rushes towards the beast, apparently able to realize just where it happens to go. And as it moves in to attack Austen, he lifts the alaricite, bearing it down on the demonic critter and cutting into the flesh; of course, as with before, the demon disappears in a cloud of sulfur. "Alright, we've got time. Lodge, you said? Let's go."

Austen claps a hand to the side of his helm as his ears start bleeding, the knight letting out a loud curse. "Oaths and steel! This fuc-" he starts and then there's a crash behind him as Gaston turns the boar away from his back. He stands, whirling, sword in hand, his face suddenly a lot paler than it had been moments again. "My lord... I-" he stammers out before Jordan cleaves into the beast and he nods. "Do not breathe it in!" he commands, sheathing his sword and bending down in an attempt to pick up his fallen comrade.

Jordan checked willpower + occult at difficulty 15, rolling 1 lower.

Austen checked willpower + theology at difficulty 15, rolling 5 lower.

Gaston checked willpower + occult at difficulty 15, rolling 8 higher.

Dycard checked willpower + occult at difficulty 15, rolling 28 higher.

Marian GM Roll checked mana(3) + occult(3) at difficulty 15, rolling 34 higher.

Someone wearing A dark lensed plague doctor's mask checked willpower + occult at difficulty 15, rolling 9 lower.

The noxious sulfur fills your lungs, keeping you from breathing. 20 inflicted and Jordan is harmed for moderate damage.

The noxious sulfur fills your lungs, keeping you from breathing. 20 inflicted and Austen is harmed for moderate damage.

The noxious sulfur fills your lungs, keeping you from breathing. 10 inflicted and Dycard is harmed for moderate damage.

The noxious sulfur fills your lungs, keeping you from breathing. 10 inflicted and Gaston is harmed for minor damage.

The noxious sulfur fills your lungs, keeping you from breathing. 10 inflicted and Someone wearing A dark lensed plague doctor's mask is harmed for moderate damage.

Dycard gets tugged along with Gaston, his own ears bleeding as well - and then there's a boar, and he's too startled at the sight of it to do much about it. And then he's far too busy watching it vanish into a cloud to do anything else. "I... what..." Austen's shout comes too late, for Dycard's just breathed in.

Jordan strikes down the beast with his blade, causing it to scatter like the mist that surrounds you. The foul stench of the beast fills the air, entering your lungs, making it difficult to breath. It's rotten garbage, foul putrid leavings. It gags you.

Jordan checked intellect + occult at difficulty 20, rolling 1 higher.

Gaston's nostrils are flared from the adrenaline pumping through him at the sudden attack from the boar. When it disappears into mist and Austen yells out to not breath in the mist, Gaston is caught by surprise. "What?" he asks, breathing in and then choking on the fumes. He reaches down, trying to pull some bit of fabric up to cover his nose as he staggers away from that cloud. "Let's get out of here!" he growls.

Retching from the sulfurous gas, Jordan starts covering his nostrils with the sleeve of his gambeson. It doesn't help, however, and asphyxia starts to onset. He starts to make his way out of the affected area, feeling his lungs burn from within with the sulfur and barely suppressing a shudder. "Fuck," he curses, half-turning to the others before announcing, "I think I've got it! I remember an old folklore tale in the village about apparitions and I think this is the case. We need to search it, though, before more people die. Like a physical object, or a charm, or something like it. Something evil."

Jordan adds, "Soemthing that binds the demon to the earth."

Austen is too busy shouting at people not to breathe to remember to not breathe in himself, and before he can pick up his wounded partner he starts retching, trying to drag the two of them out of the cloud of noxious gas. "Out! Out!" he shouts. At Jordan's words, he blinks. "How.. How will we find something like that here?" he asks, coughing.

"The obvious way, Sir Austen: we search for it. It's going to be somewhere that's not holy, and the land around it, if I had to guess, will look like it has a bad case of rot." Jordan keeps his sword at his side, glancing around. "Do you have any advanced patrolling posts assigned on the way to the Lodge? We can take your friend there and circle around."

Dycard tries to help Austen with the wounded Iron Guard, at least as far as getting out of the noxious cloud; it isn't easy, but he does his level best to not breathe while he's at it. When he does get clear he subsides into a coughing fit, doing his level best to listen to Jordan while he hacks and splutters.

There's a few moments of hacking, painful breaths from the man in the mask. But, not as bad as it should have been. No, it's different this time. The mask works! After a fashion. "Evil? You want evil? Further into the forest, then. Have you ever played 'hot and cold'?" He coughs again. "We get to the Lodge. Rest there some. Then, we go where it's most difficult to proceed. Do you recall the sense of... Dread? Perhaps that something didn't want you there? The first time." He's looking to Austen as he speaks. "I think we would need to go where that's strongest. And as the man says - rot."

The young guardsman is getting weaker, blood soaking through the makeshift bandage, forcing Sir Austen to act. It's clear that part of the group needs to take his young man to the Lodge, while the others search for the rot, the dark remains that ties this unholy creature to the glade.

Gaston look

Gaston checked perception + survival at difficulty 30, rolling 25 higher.

Jordan checked perception + survival at difficulty 30, rolling 24 higher.

Someone wearing A dark lensed plague doctor's mask checked perception + survival at difficulty 30, rolling 22 lower.

"Alright, we don't have much time," Jordan looks at the young guardsmen, then to Austen. "How badly hurt are you?" He's not going to underestimate the gravity of this boar's attack. "We're going to split."

The young guardsman can barely walk but with the help of Austen on one side and Dycard on the other, they are able to get him to his feet and shuffle him away from the horrific kill site where the rest of the patrol was murdered. Meanwhile the rest of the group searches the ground, the underbrush for something, until Gaston finds...

Gaston stumbles away from the cloud, not knowing exactly what the others are talking about, but squinting his eyes all the same to attempt and see through the mist to locate something that looks like what Jordan and the others are talking about. He moves through the mists with his head angled at the best angle to let him see something that might look like a demonic anchor. Pressing through the underbrush, Gaston stalls as he almost falls into a rotten, burial site. He coughs and gags, hacking as his stomach threatens to overturn. "Here! Over here!" he calls out.

The snow does not fall on the burial site, and a horrible soupy liquid fills it with jagged bones protruding up from the rotten, brown waters.

He's searching, searching; Jordan is patient, like a hunter, making sure that he's not the prey this time around. Sword in hand, eyes keen and sharp and his expression one of a scowl. He's still occasionally coughing, droplets of blood now gracing the diamondplate gauntlets. When Gaston calls out, he approaches the man, stopping as he squints to ascertain what exactly he's looking at. "Not good. We'll need holy water. And a proper burial, unless you don't think this is a man?"

"...Ah. Lovely. That's just perfect." Asher shudders openly as he makes it over to Gaston, after hearing him call out. It's a disgusting place, and he hates every bit of it. "Deep breaths before you go in, of course. No telling what awaits." Notably, he takes the vial from his belt, and uncorks it. He clearly plans on gathering... Something. "Who wants to bet what we're looking for is in the 'water', aye? Because that's how my day is going."

Jordan checked luck at difficulty 25, rolling 8 lower.

Someone wearing A dark lensed plague doctor's mask checked luck at difficulty 25, rolling 14 lower.

Gaston checked luck at difficulty 25, rolling 20 lower.

Austen checked luck at difficulty 25, rolling 10 lower.

Dycard checked luck at difficulty 25, rolling 11 lower.

Jordan checked wits + survival at difficulty 15, rolling 27 higher.

"Alright. I didn't bring holy water. I'm suspecting..." Jordan glances at his companions, "Neither of you did. I'm going to talk to a priest, soon, but I'm going to mark the way out of here with landmarks and waystones." He gestures to Gaston and Asher, "Can you guys give me cover while I do so? I don't want to be sneak attacked."

With Dycard's help, Austen gets the younger guardsman to the Lodge, handing him over to the care of those present. Once he's sure the man's in good hands he'll refuse any offers of help himself, instead he's already looking to make his way back to the city proper, this time with another bunch of guardsmen. "Lord Dycard, would you accompany us?"

Gaston nods his head toward Jordan, gesturing for him to head along and signifying that he will run a safeguard for the man. "I've got you, go ahead," he says with a nod of his head.

Dycard assists Austen with the guardsman, handing the man over with relief and turning to Austen when it's done. "Of course, Sir Austen," he replies to the question. "I'd rather not be out here any longer than I have to be, to be frank; masts I understand, but masts in their pre-shipyard form..." He glances at the forest around them, and shudders.

They managed to find the site where the darness is coming from but they don't have the tools they need to banish the creature from this realm. They mark the trail, giving themselves clear indicators on how to get back. As they set their markers, the forest's silence is off putting but nothing comes from the underbrush to attack them. The beast has feasted on the blood of the guardsmen and does not return to try to take the heroes.