Carnevale - Session Five: The Plague Island
A week and a half had now passed since the fall of Ca'Benicio. After the majority of the clergy were arrested by Morignus, the remaining priests, led by Deltorro's friend Fra Lucio, met in secret with Santa Maria. The young saint agreed to prove her powers by going to the infamous plague island, Isola della Mortanera, and cleansing it of the curse upon it. The di Benicio siblings agreed to go along, alongside a group of mercenaries led by Aksil, a feline condottiere. With them also were Ornella Donati (the bodyguard of Maria's patron Silvia Franco), Antonio (Maria's bodyguard), and the three leading priests - Fra Lucio, Fra Luca and Madre Angela.
At the same time, the di Benicio siblings received an unexpected windfall. Paolo, their crime-lord patron, passed along twenty ducats to each of them. This considerable fortune was from Signora Francesca di Pravo, one of the noblewomen that they had rescued from the red dragon Carnelio. With it was a message: Signora Francesca was eager to meet with her rescuers in person. With the money, the group was able to outfit themselves for the upcoming mission.
Very early one foggy morning, the group made their way to the docks. Silvia Franco had bought off the dock wardens, and three small barges set off for Isola della Mortanera. The group recalled all they knew of this place. It had once been a lazaretto (leper colony), which was closed after its chief doctor died mysteriously. Rumours were that he had been conducting evil experiments on his patients, and that he had been killed by his patients, or driven to suicide by their ghosts. Then, thirty years ago when the Black Death broke out, Morignus ordered all the infected to quarantine themselves upon the island, before burning them all to death with his fiery breath. Ever since then, the island had the blackest of reputations, and was avoided by everyone.
Soon, the craggy island appeared, completely bare apart from rocks and a thick layer of ash covering everything. Everyone could sense a foulness about this place, but there was a job to be done. The group hauled the boats up into a cove where they'd be hidden from the sea, and Aksil, Matilde, Ornella and Stefano remained to guard them along with some of Aksil's mercenaries, while the main force advanced towards the centre of the island, where the lazaretto had been. There was a cold wind, and dark clouds blotted out the sun. As they moved, they made an unpleasant discovery: the broken bones of the dead, hidden in pits under the ash.
Despite the devastation, somehow a part of the old hospital remained: a few ruined walls, and a two-level tower open to the black sky - presumably the tower from which the old doctor had fallen to his death. No one knew how it could have survived Morignus' fury. To everyone's surprise, there was also a living person waiting for them outside the ruins. Her name was Kealohilani, or Kealo for short - a travelling tortle. No one had met a tortle before, but she quickly persuaded them to let her join them. She was a travelling warrior, and had foreseen that there would be a mighty battle this day against her enemy, the evil that still haunted this place.
As the group entered the lower level ruins, a strong wind howled through them, whipping ash into their faces. Bones began to rise from the death pits, held together by the ashes. Forming crude humanoid forms, they flung themselves at the interlopers. The assembled warriors managed to vanquish them, and Saint Maria, along with Adrianna, Antonio, Chiara, Greta, Kealo, Madre Angela, and some soldiers, made their way up into the tower. Meanwhile, Deltorro, Fra Luca, Fra Lucio, Via, and the remaining soldiers found a defensive position amidst the ruins, as more of the ash skeletons arose to attack them. In the top of the tower, shadows congealed to reveal a fresh horror. The ghosts of the ancient doctor and his victims remained, and attacked Maria and her escort. Several of the soldiers perished, but the group was victorious and the unquiet dead were destroyed.
As Maria began to pray, the island responded, violently. More ash skeletons rose up and marched against the living. With them were some that were faster and stronger, and uncannily had the faces of the living. Matilde's protection spells were shattered by a dark intelligence, and fierce fighting broke out. More soldiers fell, and Adrianna was forced to leave Maria's side to help with the fighting below. Foul half-formed scuttling creatures clambered up the outside of the tower, but Chiara and Greta were able to hold them off. In the stress of the battle, Greta finally found herself able to transform into a great hippopotamus, and this helped to turn the tide. More reinforcements flooded in: dead sea-birds, drowned sailors who had washed up on the island, and even a giant amalgamation of bones and ashes. But despite these challenges, the undead were unable to make headway.
Maria completed her prayer, and draw forth from the polluted heart of the island the source of the corruption. Alien voices screamed through the minds of the living as a great living darkness manifested itself. All the dead things on the island began to writhe and form foul shapes: all of the ash and all of the bones. Those on the top of the tower screamed in horror as their vital energies were sapped from them: Madre Angela and Antonio found themselves prematurely aged. But they focused themselves and attacked the entity, lead by a resolute Antonio and by Kealo, who channeled divine energy to strike at her true enemy. The darkness took the form of a great dragon, and its foul breath struck down many, including Fra Luca. It seemed to gain strength with every new death, but Antonio hefted his great mallet and slew the dragon. Weakened, it returned to its initial form. Kealo's radiant spear broke it asunder, and Maria was able to banish it completely. The foulness suddenly imploded into a single point that seemed to hang in the air, before vanishing altogether. The sun came out again. Isola della Mortanera had been cleansed.
In the wake of the great battle, the exhausted and wounded warriors made their way back to the beach and returned to Vanzenia. Of the three church leaders, Madre Angela was incapacitated from her ordeal, and Fra Luca was dead. But Fra Lucio had proven himself (to his own surprise!) during the battle. He proclaimed that Maria was indeed a living saint sent by the Almighty One to deliver them from the dragon, and that the church would support her. An alliance against Morignus had been formed...
At the same time, the di Benicio siblings received an unexpected windfall. Paolo, their crime-lord patron, passed along twenty ducats to each of them. This considerable fortune was from Signora Francesca di Pravo, one of the noblewomen that they had rescued from the red dragon Carnelio. With it was a message: Signora Francesca was eager to meet with her rescuers in person. With the money, the group was able to outfit themselves for the upcoming mission.
Very early one foggy morning, the group made their way to the docks. Silvia Franco had bought off the dock wardens, and three small barges set off for Isola della Mortanera. The group recalled all they knew of this place. It had once been a lazaretto (leper colony), which was closed after its chief doctor died mysteriously. Rumours were that he had been conducting evil experiments on his patients, and that he had been killed by his patients, or driven to suicide by their ghosts. Then, thirty years ago when the Black Death broke out, Morignus ordered all the infected to quarantine themselves upon the island, before burning them all to death with his fiery breath. Ever since then, the island had the blackest of reputations, and was avoided by everyone.
Soon, the craggy island appeared, completely bare apart from rocks and a thick layer of ash covering everything. Everyone could sense a foulness about this place, but there was a job to be done. The group hauled the boats up into a cove where they'd be hidden from the sea, and Aksil, Matilde, Ornella and Stefano remained to guard them along with some of Aksil's mercenaries, while the main force advanced towards the centre of the island, where the lazaretto had been. There was a cold wind, and dark clouds blotted out the sun. As they moved, they made an unpleasant discovery: the broken bones of the dead, hidden in pits under the ash.
Despite the devastation, somehow a part of the old hospital remained: a few ruined walls, and a two-level tower open to the black sky - presumably the tower from which the old doctor had fallen to his death. No one knew how it could have survived Morignus' fury. To everyone's surprise, there was also a living person waiting for them outside the ruins. Her name was Kealohilani, or Kealo for short - a travelling tortle. No one had met a tortle before, but she quickly persuaded them to let her join them. She was a travelling warrior, and had foreseen that there would be a mighty battle this day against her enemy, the evil that still haunted this place.
As the group entered the lower level ruins, a strong wind howled through them, whipping ash into their faces. Bones began to rise from the death pits, held together by the ashes. Forming crude humanoid forms, they flung themselves at the interlopers. The assembled warriors managed to vanquish them, and Saint Maria, along with Adrianna, Antonio, Chiara, Greta, Kealo, Madre Angela, and some soldiers, made their way up into the tower. Meanwhile, Deltorro, Fra Luca, Fra Lucio, Via, and the remaining soldiers found a defensive position amidst the ruins, as more of the ash skeletons arose to attack them. In the top of the tower, shadows congealed to reveal a fresh horror. The ghosts of the ancient doctor and his victims remained, and attacked Maria and her escort. Several of the soldiers perished, but the group was victorious and the unquiet dead were destroyed.
As Maria began to pray, the island responded, violently. More ash skeletons rose up and marched against the living. With them were some that were faster and stronger, and uncannily had the faces of the living. Matilde's protection spells were shattered by a dark intelligence, and fierce fighting broke out. More soldiers fell, and Adrianna was forced to leave Maria's side to help with the fighting below. Foul half-formed scuttling creatures clambered up the outside of the tower, but Chiara and Greta were able to hold them off. In the stress of the battle, Greta finally found herself able to transform into a great hippopotamus, and this helped to turn the tide. More reinforcements flooded in: dead sea-birds, drowned sailors who had washed up on the island, and even a giant amalgamation of bones and ashes. But despite these challenges, the undead were unable to make headway.
Maria completed her prayer, and draw forth from the polluted heart of the island the source of the corruption. Alien voices screamed through the minds of the living as a great living darkness manifested itself. All the dead things on the island began to writhe and form foul shapes: all of the ash and all of the bones. Those on the top of the tower screamed in horror as their vital energies were sapped from them: Madre Angela and Antonio found themselves prematurely aged. But they focused themselves and attacked the entity, lead by a resolute Antonio and by Kealo, who channeled divine energy to strike at her true enemy. The darkness took the form of a great dragon, and its foul breath struck down many, including Fra Luca. It seemed to gain strength with every new death, but Antonio hefted his great mallet and slew the dragon. Weakened, it returned to its initial form. Kealo's radiant spear broke it asunder, and Maria was able to banish it completely. The foulness suddenly imploded into a single point that seemed to hang in the air, before vanishing altogether. The sun came out again. Isola della Mortanera had been cleansed.
In the wake of the great battle, the exhausted and wounded warriors made their way back to the beach and returned to Vanzenia. Of the three church leaders, Madre Angela was incapacitated from her ordeal, and Fra Luca was dead. But Fra Lucio had proven himself (to his own surprise!) during the battle. He proclaimed that Maria was indeed a living saint sent by the Almighty One to deliver them from the dragon, and that the church would support her. An alliance against Morignus had been formed...
Art: 'Danse Macabre'. Vincent de Kastav, 1474.
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