Back to Deepbush

----> Heading toward the village, Conner realizes only too late that his other two companions have not followed. Shrugging off the feeling, he presses forward toward Deepbush.
----> Conner notices as he travels that the common sounds of the jungle are nearly absent. Only the occasional far-off cry can be discerned. He finds the pseudo-silence odd, but not entirely out of place and continues back to Deepbush.
----> Hopefully, Conner can get up with Oswald or Garn for help in securing supplies.
----> As he nears where he thinks Deepbush should be, the familiar scent of burning wood fills his nostrils. Sniffing the air, Conner follows the scent as best he can. It is not until he sees the pillars of smoke piercing the leafy green skyline that Conner begins to realize something is terribly wrong.
----> The wailing of a baby can be heard over the clamor. A woman is half-sobbing, half-screaming. Men are shouting. Clangs and deathcries echo through the jungle, reaching Conner's ears. Smoke hovers above the small fishing town of Deepbush.
----> The barbarians breaks into a run toward the village, eager to come to the aid of the people of Deepbush. Prior experiences stop him, however, as he remembers what happened when Tharg rushed in back on Baragona.
----> Creeping to the outskirts of the village, Conner is witness to the most horrible slaughter. The sight reminds him of the butchering his village took at the hands of the sneaky pirates of The Salty Death, except his people were the people of the Dragonspine Mountains: trained warriors and skilled battlemongers. These people are residents of a quiet fishing village. Their innocent blood spills heavily upon the ground.
----> It is fyrquai, the giant, furry spiders from the beachside cavern, that destroy Deepbush. They spring and leap about the dirt roads, landing upon the hysterical villagers. A few buildings across from Conner's line of sight are covered in thick webbing.
----> Running about the spiders are disgusting, warty humanoids. They wear loose fitting animal skins that cover their greenish-gray skin, mottled with a sickly yellow color. They resemble goblins, though much taller and they seem to attack with an increased organization and ferocity. These must be the hobyah that Cyrdan and Cain spoke of. Several of the creatures are herding some badly beaten villagers onto a crude wagon.
----> It appears to be near the end of what looks like a one-sided battle. Many of the buildings have been set ablaze by torch-carrying hobyah.