Second Darkness: Children of the Void [IC]

[lostsole31]

Gravin shakes his head ruefully, as the other in his group lower their heads, the humans taking off their caps. "I led a thirteen-guildsman expedition. We've only been here a few days, and this is all what's left of our expedition."

He gives a few more moments of silence to respect the lost and then looks up, wiping his eye. "Damnable salt spray getting in my eyes from the ocean. Serves a dwarf right for going boatin' on a damn fool's errand. As to your other question? Them stories about Virashi’s Curse are right—mostly. Only it ain’t ghosts what haunt this place, no. It’s monsters. Low-to-the-ground things, fast and lean. Never did get me a good look at one of them, even with them snatching a few of my men and dragging them off into the woods. A few others got bit or slashed, and their wounds turned bad. Some sort of sick got in them, and then, when they died, it came back out their faces. Torag’s scars, but that were a sight I’d like to unsee. Came right out of their faces like they were tongues, and then my own men attacked us. We put them down and burned the bodies just this morning. Whatever’s out there, it’s not fit for this world. You shouldn’t stay here. If you had any sense, you’d get back on that boat and head right back to Riddleport!”

Sol asks, "No chance you've seen any purple-skined elves, is there?"

That actually gets an ironic chuckle from the dwarf, which catches to his men. They then have a really good laugh. It doesn't seem out of a desire to mock so much as the desperate need for humor to break tension before they settle back into their doldrums. "There's that salt spray again," says Gravin, wiping his other eye after a good laugh. Purple-skinned elves. Ha! Nope. No leprechauns or two-headed donkey rats either. We haven’t even seen the Sandpoint Devil. You’re welcome to look for all three, and purple-skinned elves as well, but I ain’t staying here longer to see what other fanciful beasts this place has to offer.”