Departure for Latebra Velora

With our final preparations complete, it was finally time to set out for Latebra Velora. Though considering the recent troubles, I must admit that it was with a rather heavy heart. Still, as knights, it was inevitable that duty would call us away from home and friends. What made this easier however was the knowledge that we had each surrounded ourselves with highly competent individuals. And I was certain that Elara, the manager of my storehouse, and Samatha, the captain of my guard, would do an excellent job securing my interests in my absence.
 
Yet, if I am honest, that was hardly the only reason as to why I was perhaps a bit reluctant to leave Keralon. Though we hadn’t known each other for that long, I had grown quite fond of Dynia’s warm presence in the keep. Even fleeting moments of passing her by in the halls never failed to brighten my mood. So it was with a heavy heart that I said my goodbyes. She had offered to join us, but given the dangers we might face, we agreed it was best she stayed behind.
 
Besides, a bit of separation would do her good. Afterall, the reason why I invited her to come live with us was so that she could find her own path in life. So I hoped that this might give her the opportunity to focus a bit more on her own interests.
 
While mapping our route, we realized it would take us near the ruins of Ravensfield. A small detour that seemed worthwhile. As it would allow us to not only revisit the site of one of our more costly victories, but also to search for any clues regarding the fate of poor Reynis or the cult’s activities.
 
We made good time on our first day of travel. Eventually reaching the battleground where we had fought that cursed dragon golem. Where to our surprise, a palisade had been erected. In order to deal with the remains of the golem, Keralon had dispatched a squadron of mages to dismantle the remains piece by piece. As only their magic could withstand the metal’s mind-altering effects Though even with their hard work, progress was slow. Still, a bit of extra caution was always preferable to disaster.
 
Speaking of which, while staying there we heard a troubling rumour from one of the workers. A strange disease had been spreading in a small hamlet which lay about a day’s travel to the north. With the symptoms being black spots that appearing all over the patient’s body, while he wastes away over the course of several days. Though fortunately, according to reports, only livestock had been afflicted thus far.
 
This news put us in somewhat of a dilemma. On one hand, people were in need, and with both Hayley and Liliana among us, each skilled in their own way in treating diseases, we were in a strong position to help. On the other hand, as Hayley pointed out, we were already en route to face another dire threat that was also threatening innocents. And as word had already been send to Keralon, it would only take time for relief to come.
 
Giving it much discussion, we eventually decided to visit the hamlet first. As we simple couldn’t just ignore a cry for help. We would assess the urgency of the situation and If within our means, assist in containing the illness. And if not, send word of the urgency of the situation to Keralon. In hindsight, considering the horrors that awaited us, this decision would prove to be wise indeed.
 
With our new destination set, we continued our journey the next day. The morning passed by rather uneventful, right up till around noon, when we passed a field where four cows were grazing. A single glance was enough to confirm that something was terribly wrong with them. Just as the rumours had described, they each bore the telltale black patches. Which Liliana later revealed were in fact clutches of dead hair. And though they ate constantly, they appeared emaciated.
 
Our attention was also drawn to some darker patches of grass, stained with large amounts of blood. Considering the fact that the cows had been eating from this grass, Luke suspected that some ritual might have been performed here. But fortunately his magic quickly disproved this theory. But he did inspire me to use some magic of my own. And as the primal energies touched the words that left my lips, I asked the cows what had happened to them. Surprised, they revealed they had been attacked by a large flying creature. But beyond that, their responses were too fragmented to provide us with more details.
 
While we processed this discovery, Allistan called out to us. He had met up with a young farmhand by the name of Kal. To our horror, Allistan pointed to a suspicious black mark on the boy’s hand. Hayley immediately examined it, revealing the mark to be a bite wound surrounded by dying flesh. But as soon as she applied healing magic, Kal cried out in agony. A moment later, a writhing worm crawled out of the wound before shrivelling and dying.
 
Luke’s face turned as white as a sheet as he muttered “Kyuss worm”. At our questioning looks, he explained that these vile creatures are a type of parasite that burrow into a host and slowly kill them as they consume their brain. Once dead, the victim’s body is then reanimated as a mindless zombie, thus spreading the worms to new hosts.
 
Thankfully, Hayley’s magic had eradicated the parasite, allowing Kal to quickly recover. He revealed he had been bitten while cleaning up a dead cow, confirming our worst fears. This so-called disease wasn’t an illness at all, but rather an infestation.
Having regained his strength, Kal escorted us to his family’s farm, where we were introduced to his mother Kalindra. Who provided us with a bit more insight into the situation. For weeks now, the local livestock had been attacked by wyverns. And while this wasn’t unusual in itself, these ones weren’t always eating their kills. Worse even was that the infections had only begun after these attacks. A grim realisation settled over us. For if the wyverns had indeed been the source of these worms, this could truly be devastating. As they could quickly spread the worms over a vast territory.
 
Personally, upon hearing that the forest where the were known to nest was only four to five hours away, I wanted to track them down immediately. But when Kalindra also mentioned that farmhands at a neighbouring farm had also been infected, we knew that we had to check on them first.
 
When we arrived, the local farmer directed us to the barn where the sick men were resting. But as we approached, Dadroz froze. For he could hear telltale sounds of faint moaning and shuffling coming from inside. We were too late to help these poor
souls. The farmhands had already turned.
 
At the very least, we were able to put the unfortunate souls to rest before they could spread the infestation further.
 
With no time to waste, Hayley and Liliana immediately gathered everyone at the farm for a thorough examination. Performed complex surgeries to remove any worms they found. Meanwhile, not having any way to assist them with this, the rest of us searched the barn for any lingering parasites.
 
During our inspection, Allistan noticed a strong rotting stench coming from beneath the stable. He and Luke pried up a few floorboards, revealing a narrow tunnel beneath. As well as fresh tracks inside. Someone, or something, had been crawling under the born in order to deliberately deposit these accursed worms.
 
With a solid lead on the source of the outbreak, we prepared to follow the tracks as soon as Hayley and Liliana finished their work. The trail itself was easy enough to follow, as whoever had left it was obviously no master of stealth. It eventually led us straight to an old abandoned church, standing just outside the hamlet. Determined, we walked up to the door. Unaware of the evil that waited for us inside.