Tough As Dirt #34

Tough as Dirt decided the activation of the Divinaxiom required their immediare departure from Crooked Post, lest they bring unwanted attention to the small town.

• Gideon grabbed the now inert sword from the floor of the shop, however he noted some subdued divine energy coming from the sword

Before the group could leave Crooked Post, Winslow was approached by a child who lead him, alone, to a woman named Avera.

• Avera talked to Winslow about how Gideon had done something monumental that could change the landscape of Vault, and that three things were sure to follow

  • Thrax would attempt to take vengeance on the group for breaking their promise to not use the Divinaxiom

  • The original owner of the Divinaxiom would now be aware of its location and would be pursuing the group to take it back

  • People like Avera would no longer be approaching the group, and many would now consider them enemies.

• With that, Avera told Winslow that he would need to be there for Gideon to remind him of humility and grounding him, as the divine power now at his command can be a temptation not easily denied.

Tough as Dirt set out for Venture Ridge to catch up to Jasmine, who had the Blade of Ir'Palin, but took the Wood Road through Elisar Woods, established by their woad friends, and ended up beating her there. 

• Along the way, Lucia told a story about her old master and friend, Sir Donaghan, in the Veritan Order of Calypso

Arriving in Venture Ridge, the group met a vampiric woman outside named Vanissa, who claimed the group may be strong enough to help her get out of the city. Apparently she saw some kind of problem in the town, and wanted out without anyone knowing. The group said they'd meet her later that evening.

Inside the town, the group saw the results of the Everbleed applied to the captured Dawn Chasers strung up there, and were met by the last remaining vampire in charge now that Kreene was in Crooked Post and Lexxia was missing: a man named Valia who ran the local tavern for the living who still required food.

• Within the tavern, the group met a half-orc named Brash who they surmised was a Dawn Chaser in disguise.

• Tough as Dirt spoke with Valia and got the rundown of what was happening in the town -- apparently without Lexxia, the Everbleed would soon run out, the Dawn Chasers who supplied the town's blood would die, and the vampires there would have to look for alternative forms of food.

• Brash left during the conversation and the group followed him out.

Sneakily trailing Brash, the group was lead to an underground cavern near the outside of town in the cliffs overlooking the ocean, and there found a group of a few dozen Dawn Chasers being lead by a familiar face: Druvigan the Bargainer.