[[ With the events of the night, think Drako would prepare Lesser Restoration instead of Purify Food and Drink ]]

Drako looks up at the moon. What phase exactly was it? Curses for forgetting to check that. "Perhaps we should get you inside." he suggests, hoping the lack of moonlight might help Pinja with her transformation.

Pinja screams herself awake and upon seeing Darien, eyes him hungrily before scrunching her eyes closed, and letting out an anguished cry. She can hear the others gather, and smell their fleshly bodies. She takes a deep breath and painfully composes herself, before opening her eyes. Pinja looks around at the party, her mannerisms controlled and measured but her eyes still holding a crazed sheen. “Seems one of the rats got me good,” she hisses, then starts laughing maniacally. The laughter trails off and she lets go of a shuddering sigh. “I need to eat,” she states flatly. “And you all look delicious.” She closes her eyes, gritting her teeth. She rips at a nearby tree with her new claws in frustration before hurriedly rummaging through her pack and shoving rations in her mouth. Around bites of food she says, “One of you wouldn’t have a magic cure somewhere, would you? Or perhaps a body part you don’t particularly need anymore? That’s a joke,” she says wryly, still stuffing her mouth.

Nigel wakes with a start. Pinjas screams startling from his slumber.

"Huh?! What!? What's happening? Did the rats come back?" He snaps his fingers and a quill appears in his hand. "Illuminae" he says and the feather glows. Holding it high to light the area he looks about for the cause of 5he shrieks.

"They didn't have to," Darien says sadly, staring at Pinja. "Glad to see they didn't get your sense of humor, though. How are you feeling, besides hungry?"

Grikiltha sleeping in the mouth of the mine, she no need to waste a perfectly good shelter. Hearing the commotion she wakes up but tries to ignore it once people start talking in more normal tones to each other. Finally she desides to take a peak.

"What in tarnation?" She grabs her pike and starts making her way over, clearly holding the weapon ready to use. "Who is that? Pin? Are you... all there?" 

“Yes, yes the transformation was decidedly unpleasant but right now i feel mostly the same. Besides all of this, of course.” She gestures at her furry body, “And the fact that I can tell none of you have bathed in a while. And even though the odor is generally displeasing, it’s also making me salivate.”  She finishes stuffing her mouth with the third ration. “Well, I won’t be going back to bed anytime soon. I’ll take the next two hours for watch. I say the rest of you get some rest and we can figure this out in the morning. Nigel, you wouldn’t happen to know of a spell to cure lycanthropy that you could have ready by then, would you?”

But I took a bath last week... thinks Drako as Pinja mentions her opinions on the group's bathing habits. "Well it's good to know it's still you in their." says Drako. "Just don't wake us up by gnawing on our legs..." he adds a quip with a wink before heading back to sleep. 

"Well hell I'm not sleeping with you, looking all like that. No offense but I'm not sure I trust your new form and its... appetites yet." Grikiltha lowers her pike but keeps her eyes on Pinja and makes her way back to the opening of the mine.

"Hmmm...I'll have to do some research but at the present moment...no I don't. But perhaps we can find a way to create enough food to keep those hunger pangs at bay." replies Nigel  

Darien shoots a disapproving look at Grikiltha. "If Pinja says she's fine, I trust her. If you're that bothered by it, why don't you or Nigel take third watch with her and the other can take fourth." He walks over to his bedroll, subconsciously rubbing his tattooed arm. "I, for one, am going to sleep. We may have another long, exciting day tomorrow."

"I didn't stab at her did I? I'm just saying I have a general rule of thumb not to sleep by things that change into hairy creatures that like to feast on flesh overnight. I would expect the same treatment if it was me, just sayin'." She makes her way back to the mine and sits down facing the group, pike across her lap.

“I don’t particularly blame you, Grik, but if I was different and trying to hide it, a comment like that might just annoy me enough to start with eating you.” Pinja flashes her a mischievous smile. Then she turns to Nigel, a bit more sober. “A steady supply of food would be very helpful.” She turns in the direction of butterskull ranch and rubs her head thoughtfully. “There is one other thing that feels different. I feel… drawn? In that direction. The nightmare I had before transforming was horrendous but also familiar flashes of,” she pauses wincing, “family and friends. Until it shifted.” She shivers a little. “There was a rat with glowing eyes that stared through me and suddenly I was seeing images of a place I’ve never been. There was a field, with a ruin in the middle. It was old. Stone.” She squints her eyes as though trying to see it more clearly within her mind. “There was a belfry. Gates were shattered, the gatehouse dilapidated. There were four towers at some point but only the northeast tower remains. You’d think no one could be living here anymore but atop the tower was a single guard. I couldn’t really make out anything specific about them. Just a figure against a darkening sky… I’m not sure what this all means…” she rubs her head, wearily. “I’ll let you all know if anything else comes back to me.” 

The next morning, after all of us have had a long rest, Pinja goes to Don-Jon and asks him to sign the quest card. Then she asks casually if he’s heard of any sort of ruin near Butterskull ranch. She describes it just the same as she did for the rest of the party. She also asks if he’s heard of a town called Conyberry, and could he mark it on our map. She remembers Zeleen saying something about their original hideout being somewhere south of that town.

(Does Pinja's appearance revert back by morning or is she still in her Were form?)

The remainder of the night passes with a tense, watchful quiet. After the harrowing sight of Pinja's transformation, It's fair to assume some of you remain vigilant, the rest uneasy but undisturbed by external threats. 

As the hours pass, the sky begins to lighten, heralding the approach of dawn. The first rays of sunlight break over the horizon, bathing the campsite in a warm, golden light. As the sun climbs higher, its light washes over Pinja, and slowly, the monstrous form of the wererat begins to fade.

Her fur retracts, the grey hue fading to reveal her natural skin tone. Her limbs shrink back to their normal size, and her face gradually loses its rodent features. The glowing red eyes dim, replaced by her familiar gaze. Within moments, Pinja is herself again, her wild mane of black hair falling around her face as she looks around, disoriented but calm.

The night's ordeal is over, and the group can finally begin to relax. You are free to go about hyour business as the sun rises. The memory of Pinja's transformation lingers, a stark reminder of the perils you've faced, but the dawn brings new hope and the promise of another day to continue your quest.

Pinja:

Don-Jon stirs from his sleep, blinking groggily as he lifts his head from the desk inside the Overseer's Office. He sees Pinja standing before him, holding out a quest card. With a tired but genuine smile, he says, "Of course, darlin'. Y'all earned it." He takes the card and scrawls his signature with a flourish, handing it back. "There you go. Shouldn't be any trouble claimin' your reward now."

When asked about ruins near Butterskull Ranch, Don-Jon frowns and shakes his head. "Ruins near Butterskull Ranch? Can't say I do. Never heard of any ruins in that area."

The mention of Conyberry brings recognition. "Ah, Conyberry. Now there's a name I remember. It was a town ransacked by barbarians years ago. Ain't much left of it now, just an abandoned spot along the Triboar Trail. If you're headed towards Butterskull Ranch, you can't miss it."

He reaches for a map and marks the location. "Here it is. Follow the trail, and you'll find it easy enough. Just be careful out there. Conyberry might be abandoned, but that doesn't mean it's safe."

Outside the Mine:

Don-Jon stands, stretching his stiff muscles before following Pinja outside. As they step into the morning light, he sees the rest of the group gathered and preparing for their journey.

"Hey there, everyone," he calls out, his voice filled with gratitude. "I just wanted to thank y'all in person for everything you've done. You've been a great help, and I couldn't have made it without you."

He approaches each of them, offering a firm handshake and a nod of appreciation. "Drako, Darien, Grikiltha, Nigel, Pinja—y'all are real heroes in my book."

He gives a quick glance over at Grikiltha to see how she feels about being called a hero. Though she can't tell what he means by it if she notices.

If farewells are being exchanged:

[ I assume those of you that offered to will help dig graves for the deceased miners, and you may describe how you help if you wish. ]

Map: [ The dark areas will be revealed as you explore and/or someone marks them for you on Nigel's Map. ]

"I wish this expedition could've ended in better spirits. But it was good to meet you, Don Jon." says Drako.

With the burial of the miners, Drako helps out with some of the digging. But he also spends time praying over the miners for their gentle repose. It felt like the least he could do as a kindness.

[[ ritual-casting it, so no spell slot usage ]]

"We'll have to see if we can find the rest of those wererats and exact justice upon them." he says to the rest.

True to his word Nigel uses his magic to quickly escavate Graves and fill them back in once the bodies had been laid to rest. 

In addition he made sure to add Don-Jons information to his own map. He makes any final notes on the creatures encountered and is ready to send Archimedes out to scout ahead when everyone is ready to depart.

Pinja assists with burying the bodies. She makes sure to retrieve any darts that she hadn't yet gotten from the previous fighting [let me know if any are broken or she can't find, otherwise I'll have her back at 10], then counts the rations in her bag before joining the others, ready to depart.

Grikiltha rest as uneasy, trying to make sure she knew where Pinja was anytime Grikiltha stirred, which was offen that night. She was confused by the others so quickly willing to tryst the beast, how did they know it was still the old Pinja in there. Just cause she could still sound like her old self night one, will that be true in a week, month, or a year from now. Those wererats didn't seem like they transformed back and forth, would Pinja turn in the beast permanently eventually. Grikiltha wasn't a coward, she was just an objective worrier which had served her well so far.

Grikiltha was still so wrapped up thinking about what this new condition of Pinja means to the group that she almost missed Don Jon's comments. She was a little surprised to be called a hero. Grikiltha felt putting yourself in great danger against terrible odds for the greater good was for idiots and those that were lucky enough to survive labeled hero. Grikiltha was good at her job but the moment she wasn't sure she could come out on top of a situation, she would be out. Plus forget working for free like heros do. The look of suprise leaves her face as she smirks a little and mutters under her breath, "yeah ok".

While Nigel, Drako, and Pinja care for the dead, Darien takes some time to go back over the mine, paying special attention to areas that the wererats seem to have favored as well as the tunnel through which they escaped. He’s still more worried about making it to Butterskull Ranch and completing the job, but the wererats had transformed someone he was starting to think of as a friend, and killed many innocent miners. They were a threat to the balance of nature, and they needed to be dealt with eventually. Based on Drako’s comments and Pinja’s affliction, he feels like a majority of the group would be on board for such an undertaking after their more immediate concerns were resolved.

[[ Would love to do a survival check as a sort of tracking attempt at the exit tunnel to discern where the wererats may have gone? Only a 10 unless I would have some sort of help or situational advantage from investigating the mine itself for clues (which I just realized I should’ve rolled first but is a 15). ]]