Molemen’s Slaughters
Sigisfarne and Titan Spire - August 11
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Theron sees a barber-surgeon brought in to Sigisfarne by the Subvicar Jock. His leg is cleaned and bandaged to avoid an infection from his previous injury. In return, the subvicar asks him to clean up the molemen, who have taken up the farmland since earlier in the year.
Theron recruits Flax, whom he met a week earlier, to accompany him. A bonekeeper named Mortus and the half-witch Nyx, from the far west, also come.
As they depart, one of the villagers, an older woman, shares her happiness. Her older daughters are moving to the Mountain Court, in a generous referral made by Jock. The family will throw a feast to celebrate it in the evening.
Sleeping molemen
The party quickly find the molemen’s nest. Upon entering their small trenches, they find an underground communal room. A dozen molemen sleep. The group acts silently and sets fire to it.
A handful of survivors came out from the burning and smoky trenches. They are quickly hacked down by the group that awaits them outside.
Molemen shaman
The party feels powerful against these knee-height creatures. They push through their galleries and find an older specimen, guarded by two others. Another fight ensues, but now inside the tight space of the underground gallery. Although more challenging, the group smashes molemen’s heads against the earth walls.
But the shaman is not taken down. It affects some force in Theron, who seeks to protect it. Vines, some of them unworldly soul-grabbing, chase the group. Nyx keep them at bay with his torch.
Soon, the old moleman plays his flute, and the working insects stop their work. They now seek to eat people’s flesh.
Nyx’s wicked tale
Nyx comes back to Sigisfarne, battered and bruised. A sad and hurt wolf accompanies her for now. During the feast, she tells the villagers of the horrors she saw before running away from the molemen’s nest.
After almost losing her soul to an unholy vine, she continued barging their way with fire. Looking to her right, she saw Flax and Theron in a bare-handed brawl. Theron punches Flax until the smaller man falls unconscious. They are all being eaten alive by insects.
Mortus is screaming in agony, trying to escape the spiders and cockroaches. The half-witch cannot help the man and hold off the vines simultaneously. Theron still tries to drag Flax out of the trenches - after punching him so many times! Quickly, the insect bites drive Theron to madness, too.
Eventually, Theron and Mortus stop screaming. The half-witch decides she cannot save any of them and climbs out of the gallery.