The team finds a ruined Manor upon the hill above the temple. There, they defeat a number of gnolls which are apparently holed up in the cellar of the Manor which has been repaired and made livable (well, by gnoll standards). They hurd the creatures together into a small section of the manor and barricade the area.
It's agreed that the remaining creatures which are alive should be kept alive and tended to, within the team's limited abilities. It's then that they make a discovery that hadn't been seen before. Some of the "creatures" are very disheveled humans, looking like they're pumped up on mega-steroids! Noah and Asharra identify them as Curse Slaves, and both of them are not very happy at the discovery. Curse Slaves are mind controlled brutes which eventually become gnolls - legend says by eating humans. Those who haven't reached the point of being gnolls can be freed from the curse, but it would take time and research. The original Curse Pits were either created or (more likely) discovered by the Old Kroyu Mages and were outlawed by every reasonable government. It has been whispered that the Kroyu discovered the techniques from Kana devices, duplicated and then put their own twists upon them.
Checking out the remainder of the level, we come across a couple hundred silver worth of money, nothing to write home about. No special gear.
In the room/hall leading to the well (temple entrance shaft), there is a discomforting feel to the place, one would even say evil. Resting in this accursed place would be nightmarish.
Noah and Asharra take the time to place some MageLocks upon the doors to - hopefully - insure that no one will get in... or out. The final door before entering the gnoll level is most heavily Locked and barred.
The general consensus after all options is to head back to Wayhaven and dispatch Asharra to The City. She could fly there in 1/4 the time in which we originally made it (round trip of 2 days). During that time, the guys set up camp at Wayhaven and make a few sorties around the temple and village.
Dee can - and does - run swiftly, increasing the amount of area covered in the patrols. Noah talks with Fletcher and goes through his meager library and notes to see if he can glean any useful information. Alex and Sandstorm the dire wolf make a day's trip day to insure the "guests" are still comfortable while staying away from them (he can "see" at distances).
There are a couple of villages within a couple normal days ride of Wayhaven (the team is reasonably certain that it's safe to take the horses). They are both burned down husks, with signs of brief fights all over the place. There are a couple of cellars which contained some shreds of notes and information (from journal or scribblings on the wall). Nothing else of value. The village to the east looks like it was attacked most recently, maybe 1 week ago. Fletcher guessed that they might have been attacked, as visitors would usually make a circuit between the three villages once every week. There were a couple of devout folk that would come visit Fletcher at the shrine and he hadn’t seem them lately.
Asharra returns and tells them that she informed the Sage’s guild, who used their influence to contact Lord Erasmus, the city’s leader. He informs her that he would dispatch some soldiers and a couple of specialists to keep an eye on the gnolls and curse slaves, and the guild would send some help to figure out what’s going on. Picking up Alex’s special gear, she returns and informs the team that given the road conditions and the amount of time it will take to prepare, the earliest person can be expected here 2, perhaps 3 days after she returns; the main group of soldiers will take 4 or 5 days.
We don’t have long to get to the bottom of this before the Lord’s men arrives, and who knows how this thing will pan out - and we still haven’t gotten inside the temple yet.
Fletcher wants to know if he can see any of the creatures in holding. Avowing him to secrecy, she pulls him into a mind link and allows him to see them. Sadly, he's able to identify 5 of them as once living in Wayhaven and 2 as dwellers of the other two villages... and through the link, the group can feel the anguish in his soul and the true compassion he has for all of them. In grief beyond words, he breaks the mindlink, and he shuffles back to the shrine where he covers his head and laments for the valley, praying for the afflicted souls of those who were once his friends...
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