Chase of Rage
In the ravine in the Shadowfell, Effie looked on as Siax grieved and raged at the fate of Idris, but no, she couldn't believe he was actually gone. That was inconceivable, and so to her this was merely a circumstance to deal with and set aside.
Seeing Siax looking for any physical remnant of Idris, and remembering that she had Idris' sword, she opened her bag, only to find inert and in shattered pieces. The small devil that had inhabited the blade had been the only thing that had been keeping it together, and it was gone now. Another thing she didn't want to deal with. She closed the bag without mentioning it. They had bigger problems, after all, as that roar that echoed around the entire region, terrible and huge, was coming swiftly towards their location.
Arya realised they would need to move quickly from the area, started to cast a spell to change the group once more into clouds, but their easy escape was not to be had, for the casting of such spell, drawing constantly from the weave was like a buffet of magic, one that drew the attention of magic hungry shadows nearby. This proved difficult for the group to manage, for none of them were adept in methods of crowd control, and the creatures were all set on consuming the source of the magic. Arya took hit after hit, and while the damage would have been bad enough, each one also drained her of wisdom, and despite the group's focused attempts to cut the creatures down, they were not fast enough, and her spell failed.
Barely able to function, she slipped into her more instinctive state, shifting into a bird in order to get away from the attacks, and in a desperation to put distance between her and the danger, flew away from the sound of the roars, her fire bird flying after her.
In the distance, they saw the source of that roar in the form of a grotesque many-headed creature. It was difficult to make out from the distance, but it seemed to have an ill-fitting collar that sparked around it's throat.
Seeing things rapidly getting worse for the group, especially as Siax was in such a tumultuous state, Tiaumil offered to gather what was left of Idris into the emerald soul cage that the green dragon had granted them use of, so that they might exit from the area with all due haste. This seemed to refocus Siax, who agreed, and the group were soon back upon the spectral cart with Tiaumil chasing after Arya.
But the roaring was still following them, and this was of particular concern. Effie, realising that if they could just get Siax to calm down, they might be able to lose the creature. Despite knowing that Siax was particularly averse to being mind controlled after their run-in with the Talos cultists at the coast, it seemed the only way to help them lose the creature, and especially as Arya was fleeing from it, panicked, unwilling to come back to the group while the threat was there, that was the priority. She cast 'Suggestion' upon him, and while he struggled against the mind-control, it managed to land successfully, and she had him refocus on finding them a safe location. This seemed to work, as the roaring, which had been fairly constant, died back, becoming further away, and fading until only the sounds of their own travel were heard, and eventually Arya was lured down to land on Effie's shoulder to travel with them.
-==I==-
Ruins and a Well
Tiaumil, realising that they have no idea where in the Shattered Lands they are, and therefore have no idea how to find the way out of it, decides they need to find shelter to rest, one that might give them some time to recoup their energy and give time for everyone to calm down a bit more. Effie's spell would not last indefinitely, and Siax especially needed to calm down while in the Shadowfell lest he draw more and more creatures to them.
It was actually Siax's new focus, thanks to Effie's command, that allowed him to spot the entrance to what at first appeared like a cave, but as the group entered, turned out to be an ancient ruin. These were scattered around the depths of the Shattered Plains, ancient remnants of a civilization that had gone long before the elves of Merdelain had come.
As the group checked around for threats, Tiaumil's gaze was drawn to a sort of mist that flowed from what appeared to be a well, one that was magical in nature. Not easily able to resist the pull, he teleported up atop some of the ruins and looked down into it, attempting to divine what its nature was. The more he watched the mist that poured out of the well, the more he realised that it was actually pulsing, and that pulsing was a communication. A supplicant could ask a question, and they would receive an answer, for a price. This was so like what he had heard of the ruinstone, one of the very things Jergal had wanted him to seek out, that the connection was made in a spark of inspiration.
Tiaumil would not be the first to use such a resource, for indeed he could see a skeleton there, clutching a chest. It was a warning, if any had been needed, that although the well offered knowledge, the price could be far too high. Still, waste not want not, and sending in a mage hand with a lasso, he carefully edged it around the chest and one of the skeletal hands upon it. His mage hand altered and changed shape into something with long talons of black and gnarled joints, and yet still functioned. With the help of the others to try and pull the chest out of the well, all seemed to be fine. At least until Effie gave a great heave and was instead pulled herself, rather than the chest coming towards her. She staggered into the mist, even as the chest was flung out to scatter its contents nearby.
The mist around the well dissipated, and Effie, slightly glaze-eyed and hurt from the endeavour, but nonetheless alive, looked around. Hallucinations surrounded her, memories of the past mingled with horrors. She didn't notice at first that her concentration had been broken, but nearby the power of suggestion fell from Siax, leaving him fully understanding of what she had done.
In a move that was swift, he was behind her with a dagger to Effie's throat. "i understand your motive for doing it, but if you ever try doing that again, this blade will draw blood." Effie didn't react, too confused trying to make sense of the world around her, with all its various alterations and strangeness. What was one more strangeness on top of the rest? Siax retreated across the chamber, his threat having been heard, and left Effie alone once more.
Bending down to the scattered contents of the chest, Tiaumil sifted through its contents before picking up a phylactery that seemed to be made with the same stone as the well, filled with the same sort of mist within it. There was also a vial of some liquid, and a cloak that seemed to be imbued with shadows, but it was the well itself that held his attention. He cast an augury, asking his Patron if it would be a good idea to use the well, but the answer was not clear. There would be danger if he attempted it, but there would also be knowledge if he did. Especially with the links to Merdelain's power, and the ruinstone, not to mention his own fascination for all things magical in nature, there was really no question as to whether he would eventually attempt it, having not received a denial from Jergal. If it had been certain doom, then surely his patron would have advised him against it, after all. Jergal still had use for him.
Still, there was no need to be incautious. He had seen the sorts of feats Arya could perform in order to buff others, and if she could recover herself from her current state, then having that to help deal with the well would be advisable.
With the group having a range of issues, with their circumstances or with each other, it was decided to try and have a long rest in order to recoup. Tiaumil set an alarm, but instead of going straight to rest, he instead dug Ularan's book once more out of his bag in order to attempt to delve into its contents before resting.
-==I==-
Rest disrupted
As Tiaumil worked on the spellbook, across the chamber Effie and Arya rested, while Siax kept to himself, thoughts tumultuous. As the hours passed, Effie seemed to settle into a more relaxed sleep as the hallucinations and nightmares passed, but it was Arya who drew the attention as the time passed.
During the rest, Arya had regained her humanoid form, but it was different before. Before, her skin and hair had both been green, but as she recovered and woke from her trance, her skin and hair were red instead. She eventually got up and started pacing, seemingly angry and agitated, but when questioned, she told Tiaumil that she was calm. Siax was wary at this change, his hand falling on his bow, but Tiaumil, taking her at her word, merely went back to the spellbook, hoping to make some more headway before having his own rest.
But such a rest was not to happen, for there was a sound nearby, and then his alarm spell triggered waking Effie and alerting everyone, and from behind them at the archway, the rage monster from before hauled itself up out of the shadows.
And yet it did not roar, and it did not attack. It hauled itself up and it watched them. This close, the collar around its throat was more visible. It had the sigil of House Caldrithen upon it, the house of slave makers, and the same one that had gathered the soul of Ebondeath in the ravine. The creature's many heads were bulging around the collar, one that was far too small for it, and it was clear that the creature had grown since it had initially been put on. It was, perhaps, an escapee of the House, and had grown unchecked since then. The creature, which was a sorrowsworn of rage, or something like it, was physical when it should not have been, and the collar itself seemed to be keeping it calm.
And yet the collar itself was fractured and in a poor state. Even as they watched, the collar sparked and faltered again, and the rage in the creature once more re-asserted itself, and its roar filled the cavern as it poised to launch itself at the group in attack.
