|
Mierul, sits and listens through out the night, if she had any alterior motives she didn't seem to have them with you. as the meal comes to an end Mierul thanks you for the meal, and wishes the best for Nadya and Thora, as well the rest of you. She takes her leave and moves on.
The rest of the night goes pretty uneventful, though come the morning you have time to make some quick preperations before continuing on the trip
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
When Mierul leaves, Quasit squints at the forlarren and scowls a bit. She leans over and says quietly to Sakitu. "I bet that's not the last we've seen of her. Call it a hunch, but she had 'Rat' written all over her. Probably a spy for the Queen's evil fey army."
*****
Quasit is up early, taking her turn on the dawn watch, poking at the fire from time to time thoughtfully. As the sun rises, she rummages around in her pack and pulls out her toothbrush and saws mindlessly in desultory fashion against her teeth for about 20 minutes. Once people start waking up, she offers around some dried apricots she's been carrying and starts to chatter.
"OK, we should decide some things before Nadya and her companions wake up. We all need to be on the same page here -- improvising is always bad."
"First of all, I have this nasty feeling Thora is dead. Back when we were fighting that creepy doll in the clearing, I was seeing some pretty vivid illusions about a scared little girl who looked pretty much just like what Nadya described Thora as looking like. We still have that sapphire. Maybe there's a way it can be analyzed to see if Thora's soul is in it? And beyond that, should we tell Nadya anything? If she goes to make this offering to this witch, she's putting herself at risk. Maybe the right thing to do is to at least tell her what we know. And stop her from doing something needlessly dangerous."
"Which brings me to my bigger question. Maybe we should be a little more open with Nadya. She stuck her neck out for us when Mierul came into the camp. She didn't have to do that. I think we can trust her. And we need information. If we're a little more open with her about the Hut and our effort to stop the invasion, maybe she can help us. Heck, if she finds out her daughter is dead, maybe she'll be motivated to do more than just give us news."
She rubs her head roughly and then stifles a yawn, putting the back of one hand in front of her mouth.
"Sorry. Not a morning person. Anyway, what do you guys think? And what's our plan overall?"
|
Sakitu nods in agreement with Quasit. "I think you're right. We'll probably see her again." Sakitu shivers, and it's not clear that it is just from the cold weather. Shortly after that Sakitu finds her bed and snuggles into the blankets and furs in an attempt to stay warm as she sleeps.
*****
Despite the cold, Sakitu is able to sleep longer than she thought she would. Eventually she forces herself out of the warm cocoon to face the morning. She finds a steaming cup of something warm to drink and sits close to the fire until the others gather around. Quasit start talking and explaining her ideas about Nadya and Thora.
"Yesterday we said we would help. I think that being open is a good idea. But then, I guess I have a tendency to trust people. Maybe too much."
"I stayed silent in case she recognized me, which is possible. It pays to know what nobility are doing. As for loyalty or purpose, we should assume she'll mention us elsewhere, though if she recognized me that could be either good or bad. It isn't cause to assume we are a problem, but it even then it can still garner interest in why I'm here and draw attention to figure it out. Hence why I'd rather go home first before anything else. I do have a mission to complete and any curious watchers may dismiss you as merely my hired escorts, and my silence last night as avoiding trouble."
"I'm not really sure how to help at the moment. Not without risking far more than a single girl's life, us being excluded from consideration of course. And if what Quasit said is true, that you fought a doll resembling the girl, it is possible that it is too late for girl anyway. Not all the witches care about the people in their domain. I can certainly see some of them taking whoever is convenient. Not a smart policy in general, even for those who don't care about the people's wellbeing, but it is an expedient one that a few might use when in a hurry, and considering what the rider said, I'm sure several noble families are in a hurry right now."
Sighing she continued, "I can't do anything official, not even investigate, unless the girl comes from my family's domain, or the incident occured there. Otherwise I'm poking a bee's nest and bringing my entire family and people under our care along for the ride. So anything I do needs to be unofficial. The only thing I can think of is to meet with her and bring it up as small talk, but the chances of small talk are slim to none, and asking about that is very likely to arouse suspicion. And I certainly have no reason to get an audience with her anyway. Unless someone has an idea for that." she looks around seeing if anyone has any ideas for that at all.
|
|
"Our primary mission is finding the hut, and I think we have to assume that Nazhena is allied with Elvanna. I think we need to keep as low a profile as we can. So unless you plan to have an audience with her anyway for some other reason, I think meeting her might be a bad idea. She's bound to wonder why you're there."
"It is a kindness, if it is too late then it is too late but perhaps it is not too late." Bulvi leans forward with a grin "There's risks to you and your family yes but consider the prestige and honour you can earn for yourself and your family. Surely Baba Yaga's favour in opposing treason against her... while we're in there no doubt causing all sorts of trouble-" He raises a hand "-which you can spin as loyal trouble against Baba Yaga's treasonous daughter, mind you, there's no harm in keeping out eyes peeled for a little girl."
Bulvi shrugs and starts preparing his gear to move. He winces as he hauls his backpack up. "Quasit want to try using that wand on me, I'm still not feeling great."
|
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
"Sorry Bull, I don't have one. Selena healed me up last night. I've been thinking of getting one though. Maybe we'll find a temple here that isn't devoted to evil witchy woman gods and I can buy one. It can't be too much, right? Try hitting up Ibona. The key is to keep pestering them until they just want to get rid of you." She smirks.
*****
When Nadya announces that the caravan is ready to head out, Quasit deeps a deep breath, adjusts her cloak to make herself look as presentable as a scruffy girl can look, then comes over to Nadya.
"Nadya, we need to talk."
"Um, so look... you've probably guessed we aren't just up here to sight-see. I mean, Selena lives up here and she's just on her way home, but the rest of us... well, this is gonna sound weird so bear with me. So... um, you've heard of Baba Yaga, right? Right, stupid question, everyone's heard of Baba Yaga. Well, we were down in Taldor investigating some unseasonably cold weather, and we found a portal to here in Irrissen. Like, a magic portal. Apparently Queen Elvanna is going to use them to invade the rest of the world. Anyway, just as we were discovering this portal, this old man on a black horse came stumbling out of it, half dead, and told us that Elvanna has banished Baba Yaga, and asking us to help find her. And for some reason that escapes me right now, we all said yes. So here we are. So, we're here looking for Baba Yaga's hut, which we hear is chained up somewhere near here. I guess we can use this hut to find her, and stop Elvanna from invading the world."
"Anyway, we didn't tell you all this up front because, well, we didn't know you, and it's a wild story that there's no good way to prove, but... well, when you covered for us last night with Mierul, we just felt like you had a right to know the truth. And to know that we're going to try and avoid being caught by Elvanna if possible."
"Which brings me to the other thing we wanted to tell you. Um... maybe we should sit down for this one."
Quasit shepherds the woman over to a sled, and sits them both down. For a long minute, she chews her lip trying to think of how best to tell this mother something impossible. Finally, she exhales, closes her eyes to work up the courage, then begins speaking in a quiet calm voice.
"We may know something about your daughter. We weren't sure if it was right to tell you this, but I think we feel you have a right to at least know what we know, and take it for what it's worth."
"We told you there was a portal from here to where we came from in Taldor. Some of Elvanna's minions had already come through and were causing trouble, which is how we came to find the portal. One of the things we found was a little shack in a clearing up on stilts, and in the shack there was a magical construct called a Guardian Doll that was made to look like a little blond girl, but with a crone's face. That doll was powered by the energy of a soul. In addition, while we were fighting it, I had this terrifying vision of a little scared blond girl being threatened by someone, and saying she was sorry, she didn't mean it, and things like that. And I have to tell you, when you described your daughter to us last night... like what she looks like, and how old she is, and all that... it sounded an awful lot like the girl I saw in that vision."
Quasit watches the face of Nadya closely, her heart and voice breaking. This was way harder than she had expected it to be, and she couldn't help but feel like a monster. But she soldiers on.
"We think there's a chance that your daughter may already be dead. And going to see this Nazhena might not just be futile, it might be dangerous. I know it's just circumstantial evidence, and we'll still help you like we promised. But... well, like I said, we felt you had a right to know what we had seen. Believe me, I hope I'm wrong. But ... I don't think we are. I'm sorry."
Instinctively, she grabs Nadya's hand, and fights hard to keep from blubbering like a fool, but can't help but let a tear break free from one eye and race down her cheek.
"Oh, right. I only had enough for one last night, but now that I've recovered some..." she as she gives Bulvi a rather cold feeling, yet soothing touch.
"Magic is expensive but I'll put coin towards it as well seeing as the magical beasts find me magically delicious. I'll have to keep saving towards full plate though maybe we're far enough North we might see what passes for heavy armour in the Dragon Empires!" Bulvi smiles while they talk about healing and bows his head towards Selena [/b]"My thanks."[/b]
|
|
Nadya looks at Quasit when she informs here that her daughter may be dead, her eyes soften for but a moment but then seem to turn to hard as ice shortly after, "Quasit, thank you for telling me, now it is more imperitive that we take action against Nazhena directly"
Nadya finally leads the group to her home village of Waldsby, on the northeastern fringes of the Hoarwood Forest. Once in the village,the you all seem to draw plenty of attention from the locals. Nadya greets those residents concerned for her safety, but many of the villagers stare and point at the group before whispering concernedly and leading their children away.
Others are intrigued, hoping that the newcomers have brought new wares from the south to trade, and not yet realizing the you aren’t merchants. Nadya does her best to lead the group past the throng, taking them to her home—a stout, unassuming cabin on the edge of town. She introduces everyone to her children, twin boys named Orm and Mjoli, as well as an old woman named Kashka who looks
after boys during Nadya’s frequent travels.
|
|
Nadya looks at Quasit when she informs here that her daughter may be dead, her eyes soften for but a moment but then seem to turn to hard as ice shortly after, "Quasit, thank you for telling me, now it is more imperitive that we take action against Nazhena directly"
Quasit finds herself somewhere between shocked and awestruck by the reaction of this woman, but manages to keep her mouth from gaping for too long. She studies Nadya's face, then holds the other woman's hand a little more tightly and speaks again in a quieter voice.
"Listen... I've never been a mother, or dealt with witches or anything, so I can't really say I know how you feel right now. But I do know something about losing people close to me. I lost my brother last year. He and I had been really close, but he... well, he got confused for a while, and he ended up getting hanged. I watched it. And for a long time afterwards, the last thing I wanted to do was talk about it, or acknowledge that watching him die had ripped a huge hole in my soul. But I do know that eventually it helped me when I found someone who could listen when I WAS ready to talk about it. So... I dunno, I know you don't know me, and we just met yesterday and all... but sometimes someone like that can be just what you need for sorting through rough feelings. So-- so, if you want to talk, or if there's anything I can do, just let me know, ok?"
She still felt like a monster. She lets go of Nadya's hand, gives the poor woman a weak smile, then retreats ignominiously.
Nadya finally leads the group to her home village of Waldsby, on the northeastern fringes of the Hoarwood Forest. Once in the village,the you all seem to draw plenty of attention from the locals. Nadya greets those residents concerned for her safety, but many of the villagers stare and point at the group before whispering concernedly and leading their children away.
Quasit tries to be cheerful and nonchalant to the staring villagers, and greets a number of them as she passes.
"Hi!"
"How's it going?"
"Cold enough for ya?"
"So, when mention imperitive action... I take it things have gotten bad while I've been south. What has been going on?" Selena asks once they get to the cabin.
The large Ulfen assumes the children aren't used to strangers with funny accents and kneels down before speaking in skald to the children. "Mina vänner är trevliga så var inte oroliga över dem. Här har jag en magisk kappa gjord av Yeti, du skulle bli förvånad över hur mjuk en Yeti päls är" He holds out part of his furry cloak with one hand while admiringly stroking it with the other.
"I would have been happier with it if it had a different name after some of our recent run ins. I suppose we should go."
|
|
"Well, I'm all for a friendly drink at the local tavern, but it's kinda weird to be invited to a tavern by the local publican, especially since we've only been in town for such a short time. I'm guessing he wants to size us up."
"Nadya, how well do you know this tavern keeper? Does he always invite new people to town? Do you trust him?"
|
|
"I'm all for the friendly part. Not much of a drinker, as you already know." Sakitu smiles at Quasit, remembering their earlier adventures that came with maybe too much drinking.
Quasit elbows Sakitu and grins. "Lightweight. My dad would have said it'll put hair on your chest, but I guess that wouldn't really motivate you."
She looks over at Selena. "Hey, I know you're too young to drink, but why not come and have a nice hot cocoa with us before you head home."
"Given the not likelyhood this is either a trap or a disgruntled local looking for some aid it might be an idea if Findurel watches from concealment nearby it might be to our benefit. Even if they are friendly seeing who else might be skulking around could be a good idea."
He pauses and looks at Quasit. "I know you are stealthy too but I think they more likely to notice you not being present." If she pulled on that thread she'd get annoyed he knew.
|
|
He pauses and looks at Quasit. "I know you are stealthy too but I think they more likely to notice you not being present." If she pulled on that thread she'd get annoyed he knew.
Quasit cocks her head, blinks and smiles at Bulvi. "I think I'm flattered. I don't know about being stealthy, but usually people ignore me. I look so little and inconsequential. I'm tickled that you think I may have made a splash here." She graces the big warrior with a tremendously theatrical curtsey. Then she stands up normally and claps her hands together and rubs them.
"Well, I'll drink to that anyway. Come on, let's go get into trouble."
She prepares to head off to the White Weasel.
Selena chuckles, "Always worry about the tiny ones, they are the ones who must come up with clever and sneaky tactics instead of rushing in recklessly. It would be rude to not acknowledge the tavern-keeper's invitation, and I wouldn't want to be rude"
|
|
"Hair on my chest? Do you mean fur?: Sakitu briefly transforms to her Kitsune form and makes a show of looking down her shirt at her chest. "Looks like I've already got enough." She shifts back to her human form and heads towards the White Weasel.
"Selena, you wouldn't want to be rude? That's funny." Sakitu raises an eyebrow at her with a friendly grin.
|
|
Before leaving Nadya mentions that people used to be friendlier to outsiders or newcomers, though since nazhena seems to have a different outlook the people seem to have looked at others differently.
When asked about the white weasel she does mention that the two owners are usually very friendly, and normally serve hot tea.
**************
Upon entering the White weasel Fin kinda blends in with the small crowd.
One of the owners Emil, a bit of a middle aged man offers you all a table while the a slightly weary looking woman not much younger then Emil, named Katrina sets some hot tea infront of you four
The large Ulfen man smiles "Thank you." He'll warm his hands with the cup but do little else with it for now, not trusting his senses to detect a poison and preferring to chance his stamina against it.
"We were invited here but don't know if there was anything to it beyond a kindness."
Selena accepts the tea, and gives the server her thanks, but otherwise simply remains quiet , discreetly looking around and trying catch any snippets of conversations she might be able to understand. After a few moments, her tea stops steaming .
Bulvi looks around, the sights and sounds being quite distracting. He takes notes of the equipment of the soldiers as he suspects that may become relevant soon.
|
|
While Quasit waits for her food, her bar-fly instincts start to kick in. "Anyone for a game of darts? Or anyone have a deck of cards? I feel like playing 5 card Basilisk."
She grabs a handful of peanuts, shells them, and begins tossing them high into the air and catching them in her mouth. "I bet I can get ten in a row. Any takers?"
She lays a silver Taldane shilling on the table.