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[Liquefied Spleens]

The mark

You need to calm down, that much is certain. Whatever it is that just happened, it's over now. You take a deep breath, and breathe out. Your meditation amulet helps out tremendously, and soon enough you find the power within yourself to stop shaking. Your wet skin causes the wind to take on a chilling edge, and soon you shiver anyways. You move closer to the other people trying their best to cope. They all have their own way of trying to deal with it. Some are in fetal position, some are staring into the distance, others are muttering to themselves and pacing. The only ones who are acting calm are Thorgal and the crippled lady. Although calm might be a bit of an exaggeration, they seem to be arguing about something. You're just too concerned about yourself to really care or hear what it is they are talking about. Eventually, you decide to start talking to someone. You choose Yunikki, as she's the closest one to you. She just sitting there, covered in dents, scratches and blood. Not that different from you, except her armor took all the blows.

Yunikki?
...Yeah, boss?
Are you going to be ok?
She looks at you, and removes her helmet. Blood has seeped through the eyehole, covering her eyes in a stripe of gore. It's been dripping downwards, covering her face. Yunikki just looks utterly exhausted.
Physically, sure. But i'll need a lot of beer before I forget this. She rests her head on one of her hands, and leans downwards.
How about you? I saw what happened to Jack, from a distance... That couldn't have looked much better up close.
Visions of gore bursting her back, her bones rebelling against their original shape. Those screams echo across your mind. You swallow, and scrunch your eyes together to try.
It didn't. It really, really didn't...

Yunikki stands up, and begins to take off her armor. Her breastplate comes first, as she begins to unlatch the straps with a practiced hand.
I have got to thank you, Boss. I would have died without you.
The plate falls off, revealing her chest. She is wearing nothing but bandages, and her pale skin seems almost unnaturally clean compared to everyone else. She seems to radiate strength with her well-defined muscles. You have a hard time to prevent yourself from staring. Yunikki doesn't notice, fortunately, and begins to work on her arms. in order to keep yourself from staring further, you ask how, exactly, you saved her.
The spider silk you gave me. I weaved it into the under-armor after you gave it to me. Took a whole damn night, but i'm VERY glad I did. This stuff blocks magic a little bit. Probably the reason I didn't turn into a god-damn flesh smoothie.
She snorts dismissively as the armor for her left arm flops off, revealing some surprising biceps. It's not the first time you saw her out of her armor, but it is the first time you didn't have better things to do while she was. The armor inside is layered with a some leather and, sure enough, you recognize some of your silk in there. It's a bit haphazard, but it seems to cover quite a bit.
So yeah... Thanks for saving my life. Her breath seems to stick in her throat as she says that. She shakes her head, and manages to remove her other bit of plating.

Can I ask why you're stripping?
Because i feel like i'm boiling alive in this armor! I just went through a fucking meat gauntlet, and i'm pretty sure a pig-man broke one of my ribs, so if I wanna feel the air on me, that's my business.
Well, I wasn't complaining.
You jump a little when you realize what you said. You put your hand to your mouth, in an "oops" sort of way. After a pregnant pause, the two of you just burst into laughter. It's SO funny, you can't stop laughing. Tears are streaming from your eyes as you just keep laughing. After a while, the desperation for a laugh creeps in, and you finally stop. You wipe your tears off with your sleeve, covering your face in even more grime. You curse to yourself as youlook at Yunikki. She still seems calm, having stopped laughing a while ago. She just looks concerned, now, but she doesn't say anything. She finally looks away, and sits down on local the tree stump. You suddenly feel a nudge against your side. It's Laiko.

He looks... strangely small, now. This must be the first time you ever saw him without his self-assured swagger. He's a little slumped, looks a little tired and his smile just seems a little... sad. He's pitying you.
Thanks for saving my life back there... Look, I don't say this a lot to people, but I'll pay you back. I promise. Now come on, you should have a talk with mother.
What?
The cripple. She's my mother. She's the reason I had that amulet of nullification. Mother knows best, I suppose.
You wander closer to Thorgal and the crippled woman. Thorgal looks LIVID, gnashing his teeth and crossing his arms. He is glaring daggers at the woman, until you come close enough for her to notice you.
And here she is! The anomaly.
So, have you heard about what this woman did to you?
I didn't do anything to her, Nord.
That's exactly the fucking problem! You knew that god-damn paint would force them into those abominations, and you decided not to tell ANYBODY?!
I wasn't about to help any of those morons. And the drider was resistant on her own.
Resistant isn't good enough, you crone! She's been marked! Something YOU could have prevented!
What is going on here?! What do you mean, marked?!
This bitch knew how to remove the paint without attracting attention, but apparently, anybody that's not HER wasn't worthy of that little tidbit!
I needed more time to assess the situation. Vvulf started the ritual far ahead of what I expected.
Did you just tell Sid some cryptic nonsense instead of just telling her what to do? Did you even mention the god-damned paint?
Neiter of those, Laiko. Now hush up.
THIS! THIS is why nobody ever fucking listens to seers! I always told you to just get to the fucking point of things, and you don't listen!
I said, HUSH
A green glow comes from the cripple's mouth, and Laiko backs off immeadiatly. He looks about as pleased as Thorgal, but walks off all the same.

So... What? I'm "marked"? What does that mean?
Check your lower back, child. Vvulf's moon should still be there.
A cold chill goes down your spine as you twist to look. It's hard to tell, but... you see some burns on your back.
Which means that you've been marked as a god-damn snack.
...Am I going to die?
You can expect some... interesting developments. Either way, you're a part of this now.
She didn't have to be.
She's a cook, playing at banditry. I'd say she deserved it.

This woman just about makes your blood boil with that last comment. You sacrificed yourself for you whole town, and this old, lazy crone says you deserve ETERNAL torment for it?!

Stay calm
There's no point in getting mad, right now. Live through it a little longer, and maybe you can find out what being marked means, exactly.

Get mad!
You've just about had enough of all this horse-shit. She is going to explain what this all mean, if you have to beat it out of her.

Leave
There's no need to frustrate yourself further. Just go talk with someone else.

Other

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Level: 3
HP: 7/20
Mana: 2/10
Stress:(You are in shock)
Equipment:
Steel sword
Wooden shield(Well-made)
Items:
Poison-box (in your tent)
Around 100 coins and five rubies.
Wooden amulet of meditation
Wooden amulet of extremely minor healing
Skills:
Poison Stinger (Potentially lethal)
Major experience in blocking and swords.
Climber
Crafty: Bolas
Cooking skill: excellent
Corpse Cutting: Awful.

[crazyabe]

try to Stay Calm.

[vishdafish]

try to Stay Calm.

+1

[Weirdsound]

Ask if anything of the others who got transformed is left. If so, and we are tied to this, we might be able to save them, or at least get through to them.

[RoseHeart]

Leave.

Continue to regroup your team while assisting others.

[TheBiggerFish]

...and maybe possibly hang around Yunikki.
ships for the ship god

[TankKit]

Get Mad.

[S34N1C]

try to Stay Calm.

+1

+1

[Liquefied Spleens]

Painted Troubles?

You suck in some air through your teeth, and try to stay calm. You purse your lips and don't hide your annoyance, but you need to hear what this cripple has to say. You take another deep breath, and speak:
Regardless of what I do or don't deserve, what does this mark DO!?
You've been marked as property of the Gestating God. And that thing isn't the sharing type.
In short, It'll send it's creatures to take you away to it's own realm. Unfortunately, they mean to take you alive, as well.
How is that "unfortunate"? I'd prefer it if my enemies tried to grab me instead of stabbing me
You hadn't even noticed Yunikki moving closer. She is still wearing the "pants" of her armor, but there isn't much left to the imagination, otherwise.
I think, when your enemy turns people into pigmen, or forces them to rip off their meat, death WOULD be preferable.
Yunikki visibly turns pale when you say this. She takes a step back, clenching her teeth and brings her knuckle up to her mouth. Her gaze is cast to the ground until she asks if this means that those things will be coming after us all.
No. The Lieutenants were marked as special individuals for the god, usually because they represent something... attractive. Sydney made an intimidating display when ate the guy she had to duel. Still, in her case, it was just that. Intimidation. Vvulf must have found her to be a last needed bit for his "sacrifice". I already know that the twins were chosen because of their greed. Jack wanted companionship in someone, and John "needed" Jack. I suppose that's why she preferred strong women. It kept John off of them for a while.
You grind your teeth a little at this "revelation". It's disturbing to know that you're just another in a line of potential victims.
Alright. Is that why they seemed more... monstrous than most? Jack turned into... You flinch a little in remembrance of what you saw.
A spider. I saw it. I suppose because she's a... Black Widow?
Like Yunikki, you didn't notice Laiko re-entering the conversation. You must really be off your game, today.
Wonderful. The eldrich god has jokes.
Thorgal shakes his head disapprovingly as he snarks: Can't be a god without a stupid sense of humor.

Don't joke about these matters. The point is, everyone marked by the paint has turned into monsters without equal. There are twelve of them, in total.
Make that eleven. One of them died before the raid.
...What.
A man named Lucius. He basically jumped on my sword in an attempt to kill me.
Thorgal looks at the crippled woman with fear in his eyes. Surprisingly, a look that is shared with the woman.
What did you do with the body!? He grabs you by the collar, spitting as he yells.
I had some people bury him after I made him unrecognizable! Get off me!
Did you remove the paint?
Y-yes? What is going on?
Thorgal breathes a sigh of relief, as does the cripple. You're still confused.

Thank the gods... If you left it on, we'd be dealing with an uncontrolled eldritch ghoul. Where did you put the paint?
I don't remember... I didn't think to look for it. I got a bit distracted when I cut off his face.
That memory seems rather tame after what you saw. Despite that, it makes your stomach tense up a little. Thorgal looks over to the woman, who is back to looking worried. Although she doesn't seem quite a concerned as earlier, her face does look grave.
In that case, we should get back to the camp. That stuff may just posses something... It shouldn't be too dangerous, but who knows. This is unknown territory.
Now hold on a second. You want us to go fight one of those things back at camp?
If the worst comes to pass, yes. The creature won't be nearly as dangerous as the things you just survived, but it would only get stronger as it continues to live.
Now is the time to take responsibility for your actions, drider. Help us in this, and I will tell you how to remove the mark.

Of course.
If this paint could possess someone, you HAVE to prevent it. You are quite injured, however, and should probably plan on who you're going to take with you. You will leave immeadiatly

Only if...
You need some stuff done up-front before you risk your life!

What do you guys think?
Ask Yunikki, Thorgal and Laiko what they believe you should do.

Rest first.
You can't defeat an eldritch foe when you're injured. Rest up for a day or more before embarking. This does mean that the odds of danger increase.

This isn't my concern anymore
You were planning on getting the hell out of here.

Other.

LEVEL UP

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Level: 3
HP: 7/20
Mana: 3/10
Stress:50/100
Equipment:
Steel sword
Wooden shield(Well-made)
Items:
Poison-box (in your tent)
Around 100 coins and five rubies.
Wooden amulet of meditation
Wooden amulet of extremely minor healing
Skills:
Poison Stinger (Potentially lethal)
Major experience in blocking and swords.
Climber
Crafty: Bolas
Cooking skill: excellent
Corpse Cutting: Awful.

Sorry for the late update, Saturday was extremely busy. I'm sorry to say this may happen a bit more throughout January, as I'm in the middle of collage exams right now. I'll do my best to not have this happen, however

Also of note is that you leveled ever since you escaped the ritual, but it just seemed kind of tone-breaking if I mentioned your level-up while the character was supposedly in extreme emotional turmoil.

[S34N1C]

What do you guys think, then Rest

[Liquefied Spleens]

The Forest Glade of Ashni

...What do you guys think?
Pardon?
What do you people think I should do.
Laiko rubs his chin  for a bit as he looks you over. Yunikki and Thorgal seem to be waiting for him to speak first, both of them crossing their arms. After a few seconds, Laiko speaks, with a degree of sincerity you haven't heard out of him before:
...I'm not about to tell anybody what they should do. I'm going to go there, and stop whatever it is. Because that's what mother expects. But if you've got better things to do, go do it.
You nod, and wordlessly turn to Yunikki. She speaks, with a clear voice.
If one of those things is walking around freely, we need to destroy them. That's what I think. Still, I'll follow you, Sydney.
Nice initiative. Thorgal throws a smirk at Yunikki, who does not appreciate the comment. She throws back a "Shut it." and pouts a little.
I don't care what you do, Sydney. I'm going to fix that problem before it gets out of hand. But, if you want to be one step closer to removing your mark, you'll come with me.
...That's hardly fair, is it? "You can go, if you feel like dying" isn't exactly a great choice. But fine. I'll go with you. But not right now.
Why not?
Because i had to wade through a god-damn army of monsters scratching and grabbing at me! I'm HURT. If you don't want me to bleed out before we get there, I'm going to need some rest. And probably bandages.

Hold on, is most of that blood yours?
It's hard to tell. I'm getting a little light-headed, though, so that's probably a sign of something.
So that's why they didn't make much moves against me. They must have been too busy grabbing at you... I'm sorry. We should clean your wounds, before infection sets in. Does anybody know a stream nearby?
There's a pond about fifteen minutes from here. I think it's a fountain of some kind. Non-magical, before you ask. Just some remnant of a castle, is my guess.
How do you know that?
When you're making moves around a bandit camp, trying to discover as much as possible, you learn these things. Three hours of walking isn't that bad if you wanted to spend a day in privacy. The closest stream was filled to the brim with idiot cooks, after all.
There's little reason not to go there. Yunikki gathers up her armor, preferring to carry it for now. She put the arms inside the breastplate and folded it together. It looks a little silly, but it allows her to carry it without trouble. The remaining bandits, seemingly at a loss for what to do, seem to disperse. out of the dozen or so that were here, only three remained. They sheepishly follow your group.

On the walk there, you really only start to feel worse. After a while, you notice that some of your hind legs are limping. You still walk a normal pace, but it sure doesn't look good. You shake your head, and try to stay with it. Fortunately, you finally reach the place, and it looks gorgeous.
The forest glade seem strange, at first. The grass is much brighter than under the trees, and dew still seems to sparkle at the tips. It gives it an almost otherworldly impression, especially when you see the buried stones and remains of what must once have been the walls of some castle. All the stones are covered in a thick layer of moss and vines, and only the fountain in the middle of the lake appears untouched. The water is crystal clear, reflecting the sunlight. You feel as if you're defiling something just by being here.
I've never seen anything quite like that.
Despite your travels? You must prefer ugly roads.
Yunikki scoffs, and drops her armor like a sack of potatoes. You notice that she has a nasty bruise at her lower left ribs, which has turned an ugly purple. You don't look much better yourself. As the adrenaline fully left your system, the gashes, scratches and other wounds started hurting. By now, your wounds are ITCHY. It took some willpower to stop yourself from scratching, but it is nearing unbearable levels. You wander closer to the water's edge as Yunikki begins to remove her leg armor. You test the water with your hand, and find it cool and clean. You remove your borrowed shirt, not even bothering to cover yourself.
You slowly wander inside, feeling the pebbles move as your legs enter. Your form allows a very solid position, and soon enough you are half-submerged. You see an exceptionally large, submerged rock a little further, and sit your self down upon it.
You take a deep breath, and lay back. Another perk of being a drider, is that you don't need something to put your back against. You can just lay down on your spider body. Relaxation flows through you. And something else. It's somewhat faint, but something seems to course through your body. It's not unpleasant, you have to admit.

Level up

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Expanding shell: Your human half is even more protected. Your spine gets some reinforcement, and you gain armor across your back in a sawtooth pattern. It's not pretty, but it works.
Spiked carapace: Develop small spikes at the joints and tips of your legs. They are hardly a threat now, but you can evolve some interesting effects from this.
Claws: The existing carapace improves, giving you claws and additional hand protection. Your rib protection is also thickened slightly.
Base: Your poison gains an acidic component. This type causes no additional pain, but weakens some forms of armor, such as leather.
Magic infusal: Your poison gains a magical edge to it, improving effectiveness against magical creatures. It may also lead to strange side-effects, not all of them in your favor.
Capsaicin: Adds a unique effect to your poison, that will not be immediately clear.
Instinctual control: adds more control whenever you regress into your primal state.
Instinctual release: makes you more powerful whenever you regress to your primal state.
Insight: You have gained understanding of otherworldly forces. This allows you to see what the mind does not see.


Magical awakening: The crippled woman's mark seems to kicked in! You get a head-start in casting magic, but it's random what type it will be.
Magical slumber: The mark did something, but not as much as was hoped. You gain the ability to cast magic, but you must learn spells first.
Magical Block: You don't have a talent in magic, so much that you actually gained magic resistance!

YOU CAN CHOOSE TWO PERKS, BUT ONE OF THEM HAS TO BE A BLUE PERK
PERKS IN BOLD ARE UNIQUE TO A RECENT OCCURRENCE, IN THIS CASE THE MARK PERFORMED IN THIS UPDATE

[S34N1C]

Magical awakening

Spiked carapace

[crazyabe]

Insight, Magical awakening
Wish we'd taken the magic eyes thing earlier, we'd have probably been able to see what was going on to a better degree and saved jack,  Anyway we might as well take Insight to make up for it.  Also it goes good with Magical awakening.

[TankKit]

Magical awakening

Spiked carapace

+1 to both.

[RoseHeart]

Instinctual control and magic awakening

I think we can do better next time. With a little more clarity.

At some point we should reflect on and accept the lives we took from the raid. Yes we spared some, though these men, some had families, and all died defending the weak. We need to own what we did and let it strengthen us for next time. I want some tears to fall on this matter trust me she will have them. Our social butterfly.

I think we need to become, or find someone with healing magic. We need a healer on our party.