TEMPLE HIDEOUT | CURSED VILLAGE p2 [FREE]

THE ROOT OF ALL PROBLEMS
A couple of months ago, residents of the surrounding lands observed an unusual phenomenon - a starfall of unusual beauty, as if the gods decided to amuse the local peasants for their hard work. One of the stars lit up especially bright and fell directly on the territory of these lands, more precisely - in the mines of the Blinkwood village. A small asteroid has a strange magical power - it clouds the minds of living beings. And the longer these creatures roam within its range, the more they lose control over their thoughts. Gradually, their only goal becomes to protect this Sky Stone from the external influence at any cost, even at the cost of their own lives. Initially, the heroes do not know what exactly caused the madness and where it is located, but the scraps of information here and there may hint to them what is really happening.

BLINKWOOD VILLAGE
Walking along the narrow forest road to the east, the heroes will see a village from afar, widely scattered on a river fork. Houses and farms on the banks surround a central island, from which bridges and roads stretch to every corner of Blinkwood. A large wooden temple stands on the island.
Strange village. As they approach and look around, the heroes may notice some oddities in the village itself.
- One part of the village looks noticeably shabbier and older than the other. The farther you go north in Blinkwood, the worse the houses, streets, and roads. On the northernmost edge the farms have fallen apart and many of them have collapsed.
- The village still lives its life - people still walk the streets, but, for some reason, many walk with sickles, shovels, pitchforks, and even spears in their heads, as if preparing for an unexpected enemy that is about to appear. Some peasants gather in groups and patrol the streets, while others seem to be preparing to defend the village - collecting the wood for barricades, gathering supplies and carrying them somewhere, stocking up on hand made weapons and shields.
- The temple on the island in the center of the village looks like a defensive unit - the windows are boarded up, the area is fenced off, and the bridges are either collapsed or blocked with furniture. The locals don't try to walk through the barricades, but walk around them in a circle, looking suspiciously at the temple island.
Cursed residents. The villagers, who are mostly peasants, behave strangely. It is as if they do not understand what they are doing and why.
- The peasants on the northern side of the settlement (where the Sky Stone fell) have changed the most - they are the most dedicated to protecting the site of the fall and will do anything for it. They command the others, organizing the distribution of equipment and weapons, leading the works on raising the fences, and fortifying the houses and streets to meet the outsiders. What sets them apart from the rest is their lack of the need to sleep, their aggressiveness, and their excessive strength and stamina, allowing them to feel little or no pain and fight longer.
- The minds of the peasants from the west of Blinkwood are clouded. They either wander around as if they had no idea where they are, or obey the residents from the north side. They are passive and do not intend to attack the strangers for no particular reason as long as they do not touch their property or enter forbidden territories.
- There are also those who retained the ability to think among the inhabitants. The cursed peasants call them "rats" who hide in the corners. They hide in the temple building on the island, not letting anyone get too close.
- Not only the villagers can be dangerous to the heroes - dangerous animals, creatures that have fallen under the influence of the Sky Stone also come out into the streets. The residents do not see them as danger and do not notice them. The monsters will not be too soft on the strangers like villagers, attacking the heroes on sight.
- The inhabitants of Blinkwood can generally tolerate strangers on their lands as if trying not to arouse much suspicion among them. As long as the wanderers do not go where they are not allowed to, do not try to learn anything about the curse or the strangeness of these places, their presence is tolerated even by the residents from the north. But even their patience may come to an end. If they realize that the heroes have stayed in the village for too long, going where they shouldn't go and doing whatever they want, their patience will break and they will start the hunt.

1. THE WEST ENTRY
The main road that leads to the village is nestled between the hills and forests. The path to the village is blocked by logs and stacked furniture. Beside it, there are the watchmen, who do not allow the wanderers go further without a reason. Behind them, there is an unfinished, half-broken palisade..
The west post. The post of the watchmen is located to the south of the entry. They sleep, watch the road and surroundings, store essential equipment there. Particular attention is paid to the "rats" from the central island.
Abandoned farms. Several houses are located to the north of the entry. Though people still live there, the farm animals have died long ago and the fields have withered away without care. Now, in the awful stench of decaying cattle bodies, lumberjacks stay there, stacking firewood, tools, and simple weapons for the village's needs.

2. MARKET
Empty stalls and small warehouses suggest that this used to be a marketplace where goods from neighboring farms were brought. Now the locals bring some of the tools and supplies needed for daily use here.
Below the destroyed bridge, there are fishing shacks - the locals still catch fish from the river to feed themselves and create the necessary stock.

3. THE ISLAND WITH THE TEMPLE
It is a small island with a large wooden temple to the local gods. The bridges to the island are either destroyed or barricaded with furniture.
The rats. A small group of people, called "rats" by the "cursed ones," are hiding in the local temple. Surrounded by hostile neighbors, friends, and relatives, they try to find a way to save the villagers from the curse before it is too late.
They will tell everything they know about Blinkwood, about a strange bright flash during the starfall, and how it strangely affected the villagers. They don't remember exactly what happened, and their time and resources are running out - they are exhausted, they have almost no energy to help the heroes in their quest.
The means of protection. With prayers, rituals, and potions, the people here keep their minds sober, but even this doesn't save them from strange voices in their heads, hallucinations, and malaise. Sometimes they have to fight off particularly annoying and aggressive cursed villagers, who try to sneak into the temple territory and burn it down at night. The quantity of such people among the locals grows every day.

4. VILLAGE STREETS
Dilapidated houses of the peasants stand close to each other, almost along one road skirting the village. The closer the heroes get to the northern part of the settlement, the uglier and more ruined scene around them and the more aggressive and suspicious the residents. Some of them openly provoke, confront the heroes, and the longer the heroes stay in the village, the more the villagers suspect that they are looking for something.

5. THE OLD OBSERVATORY
On a hill in the northeast corner of the village, there is an old building that served ancient civilizations as an observatory. Its walls had withstood not only the years with harsh winters and endless rains but also the fall of the Sky Stone.
The old sage. A scientist who, back in the old days, studied strange places and phenomena, for which he was declared a madman, lives in the observatory. At the end of his life, he decided to prove, above all to himself, that at least one of his main guesses could be true. And it turned to be so. Now the wise man has to hide in the observatory, surrounded by prepared supplies. He will give the heroes the help they need in solving the mystery of what has happened and will even tell the heroes how to break the curse and destroy the Sky Stone.
The main warehouse. The search for the sage is complicated by the fact that the observatory premises now serve as a warehouse for the cursed ones, where they bring everything they need for long-term survival. It is also where the main fighters of the villagers are stationed.

6. THE OLD MINES.
These are the old, ramshackle mines into which the daredevils used to go down for jewels, but seldom got out of them.
The dangerous labyrinth. The walls that are about to collapse form long corridors with abandoned premises, still hiding ancient secrets and treasures of fallen civilizations. As the one gets deeper and deeper, strange energy, like heat and cold at the same time, piercing the body can be felt.
The place of the fall. This is where the Sky Stone fell, and the place of its fall has been turned into an altar for worship. As if not knowing how to appease the extraterrestrial artifact, the locals worship it as an unknown god, bringing forest food, performing sacrifices, and praying all day long. All for the sake of the stone, giving them the strength to protect themselves.
At any cost. The mine and the dungeon with the Stone are well guarded not only by humans, but also by forest creatures and monsters who have fallen under the Stone's influence. They see no danger in each other because they have a common task: to prevent the strangers from gaining access to the Sky Stone. At any cost.