*…the offensive species lurked in its corked flask, doing nothing much. Well. It did a lot, actually. Like reeking. For something barely larger than Iljian’s thumb the ghastly thing had managed to produce a stench that surpassed even the worst parts of some ratmen lair. He had plugged it earlier, carefully using the longest thongs that he could find in order to stay as far away from it as ever possible while dumping it into the glass. Which had proved to be a wise move, due to what he by now had read up and learned to be spores. Whenever the flask was bumped, a small cloud of them puffed up. Only for a while though. After three or four clouds, the yucky thing seemed to be out of them and nothing happened anymore. At least, producing spores and distributing them was a normal thing for mushrooms to do. In other aspects it seemed to be quite normal too. He had cut some off (again from a safe distance) and what had remained (you try doing an accurate cut with a lance) had been… well… mushroom. Meaning it didn’t seep poison, contain odd stuff or anything such. The only differences to normal mushrooms were the unbearable stench… and the growth. Which was rapid. In the hour that he had spent watching this glass he could already distinguish three new mushrooms growing around the first, apparently planted by the clouds of spores that had settled down on the ground of the flask. That explained why entire patches sprouted right out of the ground where nothing suspicious had been beforehand. And the patches seemed to be quite random; their appearance followed no pattern that Iljian could see. With a sigh, he returned to his writing:
Quote:
I arrived on duty later last night and found that the wounded elven woman had left the healers. Apparently, someone had found her wandering around in the forests outside. Lady Virelle must have found her since she returned her to the gate. I proposed that she be returned to the healers immediately and placed under observation once more, but all the clever people decided that the best place for someone that was attacked, nearly killed and that cannot spell more than one coherent word in a row was out and about, running around the town. Since there were other, more pressing issues to see to, I left it at that. Yet I will not take responsibility for any harm that comes to her.
Along with the spoiling of the waterways, a strange new threat has arisen. Some sort of undead creature, for lack of a better word. They seem to be human, yet their skin and head is covered entirely by mushrooms that seem to grow right out of them. They are ghastly and smell as badly as the patches of mushrooms that we found around the town. Some attacked the gate, coming from outside the town, while others already seemed to be inside the town walls. Stewan even believed that he had recognised one of them as the apprentice of the local blacksmith and assumed that something had turned him into this horrible being. Hildy and I searched the town properly and discovered one more patch, this one even featuring one of the giant mushrooms that Reann had told us about. We burned the patch quickly, as we did the remains of the strange undead-like beings.
During the night, several more of them attacked and we issued another warning to alert the citizens of this new danger. Unlike the undead these beings are fast, running as quickly as a normal human. While easily defeated, they move with an agility and malicious purpose that makes them quite a threat to unwary citizens and visitors. One of them chased and bit lady T’lara in the right arm. I treated her immediately, cleaned and washed the wound to keep any poisonous or infective substances out of it, then bandaged it. She seemed to be in no further danger and returned home with Stewan.
We spotted several more of the creatures before the town grew quiet and I returned home.
As an addition to the report of the day before: there seem to be two brigands in the cells that Alusair arrested. They seem to have slept a great deal since and will be dealt with as soon as they wake.
|
Quote:
In the name of his Grace, Duke Irvyn Middlethorn of Trinsic,
the citizens of Trinsic are hereby warned that a new threat has been spotted with increasing frequency. Apart from the patches previously spotted next to the polluted waterways, additional patches of mushrooms have been found growing in different parts of the town. In several occasions, especially large ones have been spotted that pose an additional threat to health and life. These patches can be easily recognised by their stench and the slimy outflow from the mushrooms on the ground.
Citizens are advised to keep their distance and to alert the guards should they happen to find such a patch. Do not try to remove or burn the mushrooms yourself. Do not attempt to pluck or even eat them.
Several creatures have been spotted around Trinsic that might be connected to these mushroom findings. They appear to be humans that are overgrown or otherwise affected by mushrooms. Their behaviour is similar to that of undead, meaning they are violent, dangerous and seemingly unintelligent.
Again, citizens are advised to avoid contact and report any sightings to the guards. Do not attempt to stop, capture or kill these creatures unless there is danger for health or life of yourself and others. Should the need arise then try to defeat them from a distance, preferably with fire.
Iljian
Guardsman
|
For a moment, Iljian merely blinked at the flask, then dropped his pen when he finally realised that something had happened. All the spores and bits of mushroom that had been fallen off the first one had turned into a gelatinous goo that now covered the floor of the flask. They had spotted the same near the barracks, where the patch of mushrooms they had disposed had created a similar area full of slime and decay. Muttering darkly, Iljian picked up the thongs again and lifted the flask carefully. He would just dump it and all its contents into the blacksmith’ forge. That would take care at least of this one.*