Traveling in Terror Storms

This entire entry is very messy, like Zin was vibrating with paranoia while writing. There are some places where she clearly was startled and drew a line or hit the paper unexpectedly.

Today the mist has taken on an ominous red hue. It honestly looks like blood. It is a lot like the vampiric mist Seksgar and I had to fend off the other night. Something about the suns is off, too, and that's been true since the moment we woke. Fern astutely pointed out that this all seems related to the fourth plague of darkness. Whatever is going on, it fucking sucks. I remember never letting my feet or hands hang out of the blankets at night, convinced that monsters would be able to grab me if I did. That same irrational fear has been permeating my entire body all day.

Others are having their own issues, too. Today's flavor was Duraz and Seksgar. Duraz has been hearing a strange voice saying he needs to avenge whomever it is. Seksgar continues to return from sleep covered in ice, and it seems to be getting more aggressive as time goes on. Of course, this all stacks nicely with the ongoing, foreboding sense of dread we all feel. We didn't speak about it much, but even the way we traveled betrayed our feelings⁠—we certainly kept a much tighter formation than normal, and we're all incredibly jumpy.

We eventually made it to a point in the perimeter where a steep cliff lay on one side and the misty lake bed on the other. There was a 10-to-15-foot gap between the two, but even without additional magical paranoia, that feels like a trap. While we argued a bit about how to handle it, Roscoe spotted a harpy nest up on the cliff face. Compared to the morning, everything was worse by this time. Completely horrible. The blood-red color of the mist just felt like an omen of Tajna and the crows. Is it possible to be afraid of air? It just felt so much like Tajna was everywhere and could surround and suffocate me without warning.

I didn't have to ponder the oppressive feeling too long, because Roscoe went climbing up the cliff to investigate and Seksgar yelled at the harpies, who soon attacked. I don't totally remember the early moments of the encounter, because I have a hazy recollection of just wanting to climb up to them? Apparently I was charmed. (Fana would be disappointed.) We felled one harpy but didn't want to kill the trio just because. After investigating the body of the one we took down, though, it is clear they've been tortured by the cultists and branded with Fury's mark... who knows whether letting them protect their eggs was a merciful or idiotic choice.

People were disappearing by this point, and then out of nowhere something spooked Seksgar and he took off. Incredibly unfortunately for me, he beat the shit out of my left side against the wall, primarily my fucking foot... It was just starting to be a less constant pain, and now here we are back at square one. After he chilled out (literally), he insisted on going back for a plant. I have never seen anything like it in my life, and it was out of place, but Seksgar insisted it had many useful properties. After collecting it we moved on until we found somewhere to sleep, but now we're in this creepy cave with a crevice that leads back to another, creepier place with gods knows what... Seksgar mirrored Holly and I probably did not alleviate worries for Rue via the sending stone. I hope tomorrow's weather sucks less.
 
Miscellaneous observations

• The stone of the cliff we encountered seems like an older (ancient?) version of the crystal we have seen elsewhere in the forest.
• I keep seeing the same dark figures in the mist that I saw before, but as of yet they have not emerged from the mist. It really bothers me I cannot figure out what they are.
• The plant that Seksgar went back for seems to have properties in each of its parts, and it clearly does not belong in this forest. Its coloring is nothing like the purple of everything in this area. (Did Auril manifest it for him?)

• The tooth amulet is used to summon a lesser version of Fury. (Fuck no.)
• The teeth in the bag could be a spell component, but the way they are preciously packed in the pouch indicates they are probably trophies. (Gross.)

• Duraz managed, in the same sentence, to tell me I am smart and also that I make bad decisions.
• I think we have both learned now that certain sounds count as words, according to the laws of magic.
• Seksgar uncharmed me with the most fucking painful ass slap I've ever experienced. And then Tara specifically healed it. The word "weird" is losing meaning for me, but that was also weird.
• Ask me to regale you with the tale of Theodora eating a weird berry and Keenor literally shutting her away in the pack.