Beist sniffed the air as he rode his wagon down the dirt path, fields of tall grass as far as the eye could see on either side of him. It'd been some time since he'd visited this area. The scent of grass with the unavoidable hint of horse droppings was not exactly his favorite smell, but it still reminded him of home.

The village ahead was just coming into view. Fenced off farmland surrounding a collection of houses. One building stood above the rest, the town hall. An unremarkable village that was just like many other small homesteads that cropped up in the Sunset Plains. However, Beist had heard some strange news about this one. Something was making the villagers act strange. Perhaps some kind of disease or poison. In either case, the hand of a skilled alchemist was likely needed to make a cure, and Beist had volunteered for the job.

The usually much larger alchemist was currently shifted into a form much easier for Dora, his griffon, to pull along with the wagon. A heavyset, grey-furred monkey with an extra pair of arms and a pair of horns on his head that split off in places almost like antlers. With the weather just starting to turn colder as the seasons changed, his current outfit consisted of a baggy brown sweater, a pair of warm, woolen trousers, and a pair of comfortable boots with wool socks. He usually wasn't so affected by the cold thanks to his thick fur and large size, but he still enjoyed dressing for the season and his smaller form was a bit more susceptible to the cold.

Ahead of him, Dora was also wearing a sweater made of green wool that Beist had spent hours knitting himself. His knitting skills had improved after so much practice and one could tell just by looking at Dora's sweater. The knit slowly becomes tighter and more even from the front to the back.

---

Bringing Pets:
Griffon (Sleigh Bell)
Woolful (My Best Friend) in space pocket
Raccoon Dog
Mephit (Stables) in space pocket
Skewt

Amplified Shape Change

SPOILER: Click to show

Quest Name: Mind over matter
Participants: Two or more
Location: Anywhere
Post Requirements: 8 post per person, 250 words per post
Reward: +1 Mystical Archive Ticket, +1 Chthonian Parasite
Description: Reports of strange behavior from a small local hamlet or village have started to circulate, rumors of weird habits or social encounters happening to those who visit this small little village. The locals seem to be under some kind of spell or affect, acting like mindless golems. They work from sun up to sun down, just digging massive holes in random places and we really don't understand why. Heroes are being asked to visit these remote villages to investigate the source of this strange behavior.

Special Requirements: Your investigations uncover a powerful Chthonian that is taking up residence in the hamlet and has brain washed the local population. What the monster is after is still unknown, but you do know that this creature must be defeated in order to free the victims from its control. After investigating and uncovering the truth, you must kill the Chthonian.

Still tired from a recent mission, Shaa had decided to take a much needed vacation from pretty much anything administrative. He wouldn’t call it hiding exactly more like proactively removing himself from the possibility of guild paperwork by not being there. His brain needed a break. The best way that he knew how to recharge was to be outdoors and under the open skies. It had been three days already and he definitely felt better. At least for now.

The sky had turned dark and he had set up a small fire and a meal before turning in for the night. He was surprised to hear a voice speak to him from the darkness. Please forgive me kind sir. I was walking and saw your fire. Would you mind if I camped with you tonight. Safely in numbers you know. The big Minotaur rolls his eyes but waves the stranger over and points to a spot near the flames. It’s funny you would talk about safety. Most people wouldn’t walk up to a Minotaur and assume it would be safe. The man, a short older human in worn clothing, sits next to the fire and warms his hands near the flames glow. Perhaps,  but I don’t judge sir. Hunters are out there in the dark, not cozy by a fire. I have good instincts about these things. Shaa scratches his head. Considering the amount of nonsense he gets into on a regular basis, he questioned the man’s instincts but tried not to laugh to hard about it. If you say so buddy. Why are you walking out in the dark anyway?

The man sighed deeply and pulled out a small piece of jerky to chew on while he considered his answer. There’s a small town not too far from here. I was supposed to go there to visit my sister but when I got there…it was…odd. What do you mean…odd? The fighter pressed. The villagers are doing weird things. I am not sure how to describe it really. But they don’t seem…al there. Welll village life can get pretty tedious. Don’t I know it. But it’s not that. They are doing odd things like digging holes in town for no reason. Some even stopped talking, even if you corner them. There is just something wrong. I wasn’t staying to get caught in that mess. What about your sister? Gone. Wasn’t there when I got there. I’m going to the next town over to see if I can find her.

Shaa could see the look of concern on the man’s face. He wondered what could be happening. It wouldn’t hurt to take a quick look in the morning.

The Lion and his wife traveled down the road on the back of their beloved Byrr. It was nice to have a simple ride through Charon, a small comfort that was hard to come by these days. That peace was unlikely to hold given the dramatic irony building, but for now they could hold on to it.

The two look over the farmland ahead of them, fields going barren for the winter as the cold settles in. It wasn't quite as pretty as the rolling fields of grain, but there was an oddly quiet beauty to it. The end of a year signaling renewal and change ahead. Apogee pulled at the edges of Leandros' cloak and pulled it around to the front to cover herself.

"I don't understand how you are not bothered by this." She huffs gently.

Leandros laughs, nose tinged a little red, "I keep telling you its the layers, shirt, the arming clothing, then the gambeson, then the chain mail, then the armor on top of that."

"Well I suppose you have a point...maybe we can find you a set of armor that I can just sit inside and make you carry me~"

"I don't know how practical that is." He scrunches his face as he tries to imagine it.

"It would also make it easier to-!" Apogee catches herself as she sees Dora and Beist up ahead. Best not to be that open of a flirt, even if it is your own husband.

The two slow their pace and give a small wave, "You're the first person we've seen out here in some time. Must be some sort of storm coming to have everyone holed up."

Beist looked to the side as an armored horse with two riders atop it saunter up beside his wagon. Dora also spared them a glance over her shoulder, but continued walking as if she didn't care. The griffon had a tendency to act rather aloof that Beist knew was just an act, wanting to look elegant and refined. It took him a while to convince her to let him put the sweater on her. She only relented when Beist could see her visibly shivering in the cold. She still refused to wear the matching socks though.

"I'm not sure about a storm, but I'm not surprised you haven't seen anyone else along this road. The village up ahead hasn't had much travel to or from it lately. The villagers have been acting odd. Some kind of strange affliction, likely some kind of disease, I believe. I'm on my way there now to see if I can concoct a cure and fix the problem." Beist replied, speaking loudly so his voice could be heard from the distance between them and over the sounds of hooves and wheels on the dirt road.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Beistmild, but please call me Beist. My companion here is Dora. Do you also have some business in this village? It shouldn't be much longer until we arrive, but I'd still enjoy having a bit of company as we travel."

Beist was happy to have someone to speak to even if it was only for a short time. Of course, he spoke with Dora and his other animal companions as he travelled, but he enjoyed hearing new voices with new stories.

The great Minotaur stretched his arms out wide as the dawn of the new day washes over the ramshackle campsite. After a bit of a yawn, he looks over half remembering that he was not camping alone. To his surprise however, the man who had come in the night, had made an equally mysterious disappearance. Shaa wrote it off as anxiety of finding his sister and not anything more sinister. The only thing that was still bothering him was the story of afflicted town. After a bit of breakfast, Shaa decided to check it out as he had really nothing else better to do. 

After a quick clean up and ensuring that the fire was fully extinguished, he heads off down the dusty road. The way is worn and bereft of any real travelers save the occasional merchant or trader. He travels for most of the day and starts to curse himself for not getting better directions from the traveler. If that guy was pulling my leg, the next time I see him, I will pull off his…. Before he could finish the bitter oath, he sees more travelers up the road. It was about time. Maybe one of them could give him some better directions or perhaps even confirm the rumor.

He picks up his pace to close the distance. The group is still moving but they seem to be talking loud enough to have a conversation over the din of road travel. As he gets closer, he is surprised to see that one of the travelers is large, even larger than he was which was saying something. Was it another Minotaur? Nooo… Considering the man and the possibilities, he almost doesn’t notice the other pair of travelers. To his surprise, he recognizes the man. Leandros.

"Strange you say?" Leandros moves to dismount before being held up by his wife a moment. Apogee unclasps his cloak so she can keep it wrapped around herself and keep warm. The knight just smiles softly as he then dismounts. "Beist, it is a pleasure to meet you, I am Leandros and this is my wife Apogee."

"They have an adorable sweater, did you make it yourself?" Apogee beams at Dora in her jumper. "We wouldn't mind the company, though if people are acting strange, could you enlighten us to that? I am not a member of the consortium by any means, but I know a little of alchemy and magic...and my husband can do some healing if you think that would help.

As the group met, Leandros scanned the area for a moment. It is strange to see a place so empty like this even in winter. The warmth of the hearth is inviting, but it is midday. There should be people about. Was there some sort of attack recently? Had a monster made its home nearby?

Before he has too long to consider all of the possibilities, he sees Shaa approaching. Leandros offers up a wave in greeting as his wife would continue to listen to Beist for the moment. The knight takes a few steps forward to meet the minotaur on the road with a handshake.

"It's good to see you in good health Shaa. Out traveling as well or have you heard about something strange happening in town? The other fellow here says something odd has been happening in town."

Beist nodded.

"Yes, strange behavior. I haven't seen it myself, but from what I've been told, the villagers have begun digging holes in random locations, ignoring any attempts at conversation with them, and generally behaving in an almost zombie-like way. Very disconcerting, to say the least. If something isn't done, they may start dropping from exhaustion as they don't rest, eat, or sleep. I hope it isn't too late." Beist responded somberly.

He was very worried for these villagers. Working all day and night digging. Whatever was causing this wasn't to be taken lightly. Maybe this disease was some kind of mind-altering parasite that made its host behave in a way that would help lead it to its next stage of life, like the fungus that causes ants to stay in the open to allow a bird to eat it, or rabies that spreads through bites and forces its host to become more aggressive. Whatever it was, it needed to be cured before it forced the villagers worked themselves to death.

Beist's somber mood lifted immediately as Apogee asked about Dora's sweater.

"Oh, yes! I did knit it myself, how did you know?" He replied enthusiastically. "I also made one for myself, and several for friends of mine!"

He reached back into his wagon and rummaged around for a moment before pulling a sweater that was clearly too large for him. Actually, the sweater appeared too large for just about anyone either of them had ever met. It looked like it was sized to fit a giant. It was even too large for Dora.

"Oh, right." Beist mumbled to himself, realizing his mistake. He undid his transformation, returning to his usual form, towering at over 15 feet tall. Dora gave a screech of protest at the sudden increase in weight she had to pull as Beist put the green sweater on. The brown sweater he had been wearing had suddenly changed into an undershirt and, curiously, his trousers and boots had grown along with him.

"Ah, sorry Dora." Beist apologized sheepishly, but was still smiling, happy to talk to someone about his knitting.

However, the conversation he was excited for was cut short as another figure ran up the road behind them and Leandros greeted him. A minotaur named Shaa, according to Leandros greeting. Beist had never met a minotaur before, so it was interesting to meet them. He was quite tall, though still almost half Beist's height.

"Greetings. Beistmild, but please call me Beist." He introduced himself again for the late arrival.

Oh you know me, just out wandering, nothing too special. But, I did run into a fellow traveler late last night who did tell an odd tale. Something about the townsfolk acting weird and mindless. I have to admit, my curiosity got the best of me so I decided to wander over. 

As Beist introduces himself, Shaa steps back a bit to get the full scope of him. Shaa was usually one of the bigger beings in his meanderings so it was nice to not have to stoop to talk for once. He was curious as to what manner of creature this being was however. He was surprised he had never heard tell of a being so… obvious. Maybe that was a good thing. Not one to judge an odd look, he smiles and waves up at seemingly friendly being. Hello Beist. My names Shaa and you can call me the same. Just don’t call me late for breakfast. He laughs a bit at his own joke and sighs. 

Anywho. It sounds like we are all here for the same reason. Why don’t we all head over together? Between the… Shaa did a quick headcount and stopped himself when he saw Apogee. And I am assuming you are the Mrs. We have never met formally but your husband doest shut up about you so I feel I know you somewhat, if that’s not too presumptuous. Shaa rubs his fingers together and grows a pink small flower in his hand. He offers it to Apogee with a stupid grin. In truth, most of the time Shaa and Leandro’s hung out, he was in mortal danger so Shaa was unsure what kind of rep that he carried with Lee’s loved ones. These kinds of interactions were something that he actively avoided if he could. He figured his name was held in contempt with more than one fighters extended relatives.

"That is odd, I am not sure what could even cause something like that." Apogee frowns a bit, but is similarly reinvigorated by the much lighter conversation.

"I imagine not many seamstresses make clothing fitted for such cute friends." The elf smiles brightly. "The work is so nice, I find myself having to redo things so often when I try and knit."

She does ponder the relatively large sweater for a time, wondering just who that could fit. When Beist moves to his new size, Apogee is certainly surprised. She remains ever intrigued about the knitting and this new friend they've made.

"It's not often I find someone taller than my husband." She gives a soft little laugh. "Shaa was the first in some time."

Leandros rejoins his wife, suddenly finding himself looking up at Beist. He nodded as Apogee quickly caught him up on what Beist had said. It sounded like it might be something that is behind his own healing.

"Sounds like you'll have more company on this journey Mr. Beist." Leandros smiled, happy for the traveling partners.

Apogee put a hand over her heart and brimmed with a smile as she took the flower, "I am very sorry my husband has subjected you to such things Shaa, but I am glad to finally meet. Hopefully we don't have to fight anything, but Leandros has told me of how incredible you are to watch."

She tucks the flower against her ear to wear it for the time as she takes Byrr's reins. Time to move forward!

"Heh, well, I can understand why. Your husband is quite tall." Beist chuckled. To be fair, the man was indeed tall for a human. Beist only towered above most others after a series of alchemical mishaps that he wasn't keen to share. Though, also to be fair, he would have been taller than Leandros even before then, but that was only thanks to his family's circumstances. Also something he didn't want to share with a group of people he'd just met.

Beist looked amused as he listened to the conversation between the couple and the minotaur. This seemed to be a bit of a reunion for the group. From his joking attitude, Shaa seemed good natured. They had nearly reached the front gate of the village now, so Beist stopped his wagon.

"More company is always welcome. It's good to have more help with this problem anyways. Just be careful none of you become infected with whatever it is affecting the village, yes? We don't know how it might spread. Before we enter, I think it's time to take some precautions."

Beist reached into his wagon's front window again and pulled out some cloths and two pairs of gloves sized for his gigantic hands. He tied the cloth around his face, letting it cover his nose and mouth like a mask, and then put on the gloves on all four hands.

He pulled out some more, much smaller cloths and pairs of leather gloves for the others. He had plenty of cloths for everyone, but he didn't have quite so many gloves. He only had two pairs of smaller gloves, looking to be sized for his hands when he was in his smaller form. They would fit Leandros and Apogee, but he didn't have a spare pair large enough for Shaa except for a pair that was far too large even for the hands of the minotaur.

"Hmm... I don't have any pairs of gloves made to fit someone whose hands are sized somewhere between my current size and my smaller size. My apologies." Beist said sadly, looking to Shaa, his voice slightly muffled by the cloth over his mouth.

Shaa thought for a moment and got an idea. He pulled out his spitfire gauntlets and small med kit from his bag of the infinite. From his small med kit, he pulls a light weight bandage and string which he uses to tie over his mouth. After replacing the kit, he puts on the gauntlets, a gift from his friend Ray. Being an elementalist, he didn’t really need gauntlets that could start a fire but he was glad that he finally had a use for them. The gauntlets were specially insulated to protect the user from flames. He was sure they would work for their purposes here as well. No prob. Mmm good. Shaa gives a thumbs up that he’s ready to go. If Shaa had any talent at all, it was improvisation.

The trio, prepared as much as could be expected, entered through the gates. Shaa started to look around for anything suspicious but only found normal looking people rwalking around and mostly minding their own business. He looks back at his companions and shrugs. I was probably best to keep looking. Suddenly, in the distance, Shaa hears a loud scream. Not wanting to waste any time, he takes off into the direction of the sound.

After passing some small buildings, he himally finds the source of the noise. A woman is kneeling down on the ground with a young man passed out in her lap. The woman is sobbing, her face wet with tears. She looks up and the surprise of the large Minotaur standing over her is enough to shock her back to her senses. She points an accusing finger at him. Was it you? The haggard woman sniffs. Don’t look at me lady. I just got here. The woman starts crying again, cradling the man’s head gently as if trying to rouse him. Looking at him, his hands are bleeding and his clothes are much more worn than they should be. He hadn’t noticed but next to them, was a large hole. 

Shaa walks over the hole and looks down. It was deep, like really deep. Deeper than he had been expecting from a causal hole digging if that was a thing. Sooo, I’m assuming this was his hole? I don’t suppose you know why he was digging it do you? The woman picks up a small stone and lobs it at the Minotaur in frustration. Fortunately, the stone goes sailing over his head harmlessly. Had she tried that with any other Minotaur, it would have earned her a head first trip into the hole minus a couple limbs. As it was, he understood her frustration and ignored the ill considered attack.

"Kind of you Mr. Beist, but so long as I stay under my husband's cloak here, I should be warm." Apogee grins, bringing up the white lion fur to smush around her face.

"And with gauntlets, I should survive, though the craftsmanship..." Leandros only took a moment to admire the man's work before remembering they have work to do.

Apogee does pull a handkerchief to cover her face, while her husband remains confident his own health will keep him healthy.[1] He follows the group to take a similar look around the area. What exactly is going on?

It was nice to see people moving about, but something was off. He couldn't tell what it was, but something was bothering him in the back of his mind. Of course, the scene on the road grabs everyones immediate attention and the unfortunate response of the woman.

"Ma'am, we are sorry to see the health of your husband, but our friend had nothing to do with it."[2] Apogee attempts a polite smile to try and smooth over the conversation.

The woman seems much more inclined to talk to her for some reason, "My...my husband just kept digging and digging, I don't know why...he wouldn't listen to me, just kept digging and digging."

"May I?" Leandros slowly brings himself down to her level getting a hesitant nod. The knight looks over the man, reaching out to look at his hands with the fingers rubbed raw and splintered. What was going on?

"He's alive....though barely. Even with my healing, his hands are likely to be unusable for some time....When did this start?"

---

1. Controlled Immunity
2. Smooth Talk

"Warm...?" Beist repeated to himself, a little confused, but took the gloves back anyways. The gloves weren't really meant to have anything to do with warmth. They were for stopping skin contact on the off chance this disease might be able to spread through it, and to keep their hands clean of anything else the disease could spread through, like other bodily fluids. Well, Leandros and Shaa did have gauntlets on and Apogee probably wouldn't get too close to the infected anyways, hopefully.

It was surprising to hear a scream, and more surprising to see someone from the town that had managed to avoid infection. Beist had been told everyone in town had been afflicted with whatever was causing the strange behavior. Having someone who could still speak was unexpected, but could be quite helpful in finding out what was going on here.

"Excuse me, could you tell us-" Beist began to ask, but the woman suddenly screamed in fear as she spotted the beastly giant. She'd been afraid of the rather large and intimidating Minotaur, but Shaa seemed small in comparison to the new figure looming over her.

"Could you-"

"AHHHH!"

"I just-"

"AHHHHHHHHHH!"

"We're trying to-"

"AAAAHHHHHHHH!"

Beist waited for her to get it out of her system for a moment. When she stopped to catch her breath, he spoke quickly.

"I'm not going to hurt you. I'm an alchemist. I'm here to help cure your husband, and all the others. We all are."

The woman breathed heavily, but it looked like his words had gotten through. She looked at the rest of the group and finally recognized that Beist had arrived with them, and they were here to help her. She looked to Leandros and tried to ignore the strange, large and intimidating company he apparently travelled with.

"Uh, it started about a week ago. People just started digging for no reason and stopped talking, but they still ate and slept. Then more started doing it. But it got worse two days ago. Like they didn't care about anything but digging anymore, and almost everyone was digging."

"Do you know who the first to start digging was?" Beist asked.

She shook her head. "I didn't really notice until my husband started doing it."

"Did you notice anyone acting strange in ways other than the digging?" Beist asked, taking notes.

"Well, now you mention it, there was one thing. Dale, the grave digger. He was never a friendly guy. Always kept to himself in his shack. But right before all the digging, he suddenly started visiting people all the time. Knocked on our door at night and asked if we wanted to have dinner together at his home. I said no, but my husband went. He wanted to be a good neighbor."

A gravedigger. The one person in town who was paid to dig holes. Invites people out to dinner then everyone starts digging holes…in the middle of town. Maybe he’s just really inspiring? No matter what, it was as solid a lead as they probably were going to get so they may as well check it out.

Grave Digger Dale hunh? And where might we find the master shoveler…ummmm. Mureen. The woman says with a bit of a sniffle. Mureen. It’s nice meeting you. Where can we find this Dale guy. If he has something to do with it it might help Diggy Diggerson Charles! Right Charles. It might help Charles if we find out what started all this.

Mureen thinks for a moment. I’m..I’m not sure. He has a house. Well a little shack really right next to the cemetery. But I haven’t seen him. When Charles went missing, that’s where I went to look for him. But no one was there. My neighbor was the one who told me where my Charles was. That was days ago. The graveyard, it’s out that way. Mureen points down a road that lead to the middle of town. Shaa cocked an eyebrow. The graveyard is in the middle of town? He asks skeptically. Our town is famous for our cemetery. You have never heard of it? It’s because… well…you’ll understand when you see it. And Dale, he’s not actually a Grabe Digger as much of a…grave caretaker maintenance guy? It will make more sense later.

Now even more curious, Shaa looks at his new companions. So, sounds like that’s where we need to head next. Maybe this Dale guy is back at his place. We will probably run into more of these hole guys on the way. He pauses for a moment. It’s probably going to get sketchy from here out. If anyone wants to stay here and watch out for….CHARLES! Right, Charles. 

Shaa starts walking down the road to the middle of town and the mysterious cemetery.

Apogee and Leandros share a concerned look at the story. Was someone taking advantage of the hospitality of their neighbors? Usually a grave digger acting strange meant necromancy was a concern, but it didn't seem the case here. This woman's husband didn't look dead and puppeted.

"If you can, please take your husband home and get him some rest. We will find out the cause of this strange affliction and free your husband from this compulsion." Leandros gives a gentle smile as he sees Shaa already turning to walk.

Apogee looks to the woman and then the group for a moment, "I can stay with her...Mureen, if you'd like you can set your husband on the back of Byrr here and I will help you carry him home."

It's a little akward to lay out the man over the horse's hindquarters, but he is settled as securely as he can be. The couple confirm with each other about this plan before Apogee slowly departs along with the woman. Leandros lingers for a moment watching her leave before he looks to the others.

"So, do we think the grave digger is the cause of this or...perhaps he is some sort of patient zero for a strange illness....an odd disease that would compel one to obsessively dig holes." Leandros rubs the back of his head as he starts walking to catch up with Shaa.

"Mr. Beist, do you know of anything that could cause this? My mind is blank trying to find a cause for all of this."