Story highlights
Story Summary
Day 1:
Aranya, Brandy, and Mellow Catgrass meet in the Pinch; a small village a few days travel north of the city of Commercia. Each of them has their own reasons for their interest in a well-advertised merchant guild job to venture into the forgotten valley and clear the way for merchant caravans which have been disappearing therein. during their time a displaced beast escapes its confines and tries to escape the town killing a woman in its flight.
The trio bring down the beast and revive the woman but are set upon by the purported owner of the beast who claims to be owed money for its destruction. Aranya loses her temper with the man , demands payment on the woman’s behalf and threatens his life but is talked down by the others.
That night during the wee hours, Aranya makes an attempt on the merchants life but despite dealing significant damage is unable to end him before a large force is mustered including a man on horseback and two dogs. Despite the reinforcements Aranya escapes and makes her way to the valley without Mellow or Brandy.
Day 2:
During Aranya walk Mellow and Vusk fly from the pinch and land beside her. They express their disapproval but continue their journey into the valley regardless. Along the way they note large sections of earth which have seemingly been broken and pushed upward leaving small inclines, cliff faces, and faults. This mysterious geology intensifies as the trio journeys closer to the valley and eventually they setup camp against one using it as a shelter wall.
Day 3:
The trio continues into the valley proper and the rolling plains five way to mixed forest with large especially large pines. Aranya is concerned with stealth and insists that the group keep to the trees and stay off the road but their position is discovered by a passing ghost which spots Aranya and ages her 80 years in an instant turning a single dreadlock white. Aranya attacks in response but is beset by another 2 ghosts and is unable to defend herself from being possessed by one. Vusk and mellow defeat the remaining ghosts with gratuitous smiting and Vusk polymorphs Aranya into a tadpole which he places in a jar. They continue into the valley eventually deciding to kill the tadpole freeing Aranya from the possession and ending the polymorph spell.
Aranya, Brandy, and Mellow Catgrass meet in the Pinch; a small village a few days travel north of the city of Commercia. Each of them has their own reasons for their interest in a well-advertised merchant guild job to venture into the forgotten valley and clear the way for merchant caravans which have been disappearing therein. during their time a displaced beast escapes its confines and tries to escape the town killing a woman in its flight.
The trio bring down the beast and revive the woman but are set upon by the purported owner of the beast who claims to be owed money for its destruction. Aranya loses her temper with the man , demands payment on the woman’s behalf and threatens his life but is talked down by the others.
That night during the wee hours, Aranya makes an attempt on the merchants life but despite dealing significant damage is unable to end him before a large force is mustered including a man on horseback and two dogs. Despite the reinforcements Aranya escapes and makes her way to the valley without Mellow or Brandy.
Day 2:
During Aranya walk Mellow and Vusk fly from the pinch and land beside her. They express their disapproval but continue their journey into the valley regardless. Along the way they note large sections of earth which have seemingly been broken and pushed upward leaving small inclines, cliff faces, and faults. This mysterious geology intensifies as the trio journeys closer to the valley and eventually they setup camp against one using it as a shelter wall.
Day 3:
The trio continues into the valley proper and the rolling plains five way to mixed forest with large especially large pines. Aranya is concerned with stealth and insists that the group keep to the trees and stay off the road but their position is discovered by a passing ghost which spots Aranya and ages her 80 years in an instant turning a single dreadlock white. Aranya attacks in response but is beset by another 2 ghosts and is unable to defend herself from being possessed by one. Vusk and mellow defeat the remaining ghosts with gratuitous smiting and Vusk polymorphs Aranya into a tadpole which he places in a jar. They continue into the valley eventually deciding to kill the tadpole freeing Aranya from the possession and ending the polymorph spell.