After the party completely checks her bonds, Simon heals the girl of her injuries. "Stay calm, little one, we're here to help you, and we're sorry for the way that misguided Elara hurt you." Preparing the wolfsbane with a bit of mint leaves, Simon offers the girl a small cup of the 'tea', "Here, this will make you feel better, it's bitter, best to just drink it quick, the mint will cover the aftertaste." Simon considers offering a small cup of the tea to the bitten Chrystosm as well, but decides against poisoning him unless it's necessary to heal him. Gods, is it this room that makes a person think like that? we need to leave this place as soon as we're able!
Nimeon watches the herbalist prepare the concoction before heading topside to watch for Dorial's return.
Dorial returns shortly after her departure, shifting from bird to girl shortly before landing on the ground near Nimeon. "There's a campsite to the west. Let us check it out while the others attend to Jeva."
"Sounds good. Let me tell the others so they know where to find us."
Nimeon pokes his head down the stairs.
"Dorial found a camp to the west, we're going to scout it, follow us as you can."
Heading back topside.
"Could you make out who was camped there, or was it deserted? Lead the way."
Nimeon does his best to leave a trail the others can follow, but worries that his woodcraft will be too much for them. Every few feet he stops and breaks several crisp dry branches, leaving them in the shape of an arrow in the direction he went. Making sure the snow won't cover his tracks he loudly stomps with every step, packing the snow into the ground thoroughly.
Kast continues his watch...and watches Finn tromp away.
Othoe finds himself a comfortable spot upstairs where he can look in the direction of Nimeon and Dorial.
I don't like them going off alone like this. This could bite us worse than the werewolf...
He listens to what goes on below and watches for signs of combat beyond as he fingers his spell component pouch idly checking over its contents in his mind.
Once healed and the potion is ready, Simon wakes the girl to begin the process. Much like a wounded dog, she snarls and snaps, not trusting the odd man that talks to pots.
Finally, she looks at Chrystosm and says, "I'll take it, if you do too."
"Come on, Chrystosm, it'll be good for you to have this after being bitten." Simon will cast resistance on both the girl and Chrysto before they drink their tea.
Dorial leads the way to the camp she had found, "I didn't see anyone from there air, but the site looked a few days old."
Nimeon and Dorial head back out to check out the campsite. Nimeon is very easy to follow, what with his stopping and looking back over his shoulder as he breaks twigs and stomps deep footprints into the ground, but Dorial disappears, her lovely white leathers blending seamlessly with her surroundings. Every now and again, she purposefully pops out and waves so Nimeon can see her before heading on again.
walking is nothing like flying, and Nimeon's trail marking activities take time, so it takes awhile before they enter the small clearing.
Three small beds made of homespun blankets radiate out from the central fire pit. The fire pit itself looks old, but has obviously been used by others over the years.
"Let's see what we can find. Looks like nobody's home."
"For now."
Once healed and the potion is ready, Simon wakes the girl to begin the process. Much like a wounded dog, she snarls and snaps, not trusting the odd man that talks to pots.
Finally, she looks at Chrystosm and says, "I'll take it, if you do too."
Chrystosm looks from the girl to the concoction and back, making a face.
"Alright", he sighs, whispering "Can I put some brandy in mine?" to Simon before taking his draught of wolfsbane. Then, when they're all set:
"OK - hold your nose, and on a count of three... One... Two.. THREE!"
He swallows the wolfsbane, gasping and choking as it goes down.
Once Chrystosm drinks down the potion, the girl does as well. For ten long minutes, nothing happens. Relieved and disappointed as well, she looks at those surrounding them and smiles hopefully. "I'm still here. I must be better. Can you let me out now?"
************************************
One the far side of the encampment, the ground is scuffed and gouged with signs of a struggle. dangling from the tree above is a crudely fashioned rope, cut just above ground level. several sets of small footprints head off into the woods from this point, but none of them wear shoes. Long toes seem to curl into the ground, tiny points sinking deeper into each "toe" mark, while a tapering drag mark falls between each set of two. There appear to be six total, and the marks moving away from the camp are noticeably deeper than the ones they find heading towards it.
Found in the scuffled in the dirt:
The broken pommel of a small wooden weapon, probably a sword.
A torn practice pouch for spell components.
A scattering of dried berries.
Speaking of Nimeon and Dorial, will you search more?
Nimeon stares grimly at the remains of a childhood lost, hopefully not for good.
"Seems we've found the children's camp. Looks like the fey took them. Based on the tracks, I'd say a few days, right when the children left to find their friends. No sign of the children from the orphanage. This trail seems easy enough to follow, let's head back to the orphanage and see if those children escaped or were captured."
If Dorial agrees Nimeon will take one last look around before leading the sprint back to the orphanage and begin tracking around the area.
"Umm, well, I...ah.." how do we know if it worked or not? "It may be best to wait until we're sure you're cured, it'll only be until the next moon rises, I think? I've never really done this before." Simon offers confused looks to both the girl and Chrystosm.
Nimeon frowns furiously at the little campsite before they go. Something shiny catches his attention in the brush near the rope trap remains. A small scale glitters as the light hits it just right. A mottled reddish gray, it is clearly natural and not man made.
Dorial nods in agreement with Nimeon, "Let's head back and inform the others then."
She will also take another quick look around the campsite before heading back and searching there as well.
"What's this then?"
Nimeon picks up the scale and shows it to Dorial before they head back.
The young girl looks at Simon, then at Chrystosm in hopes that he will swing the vote in her direction.
"Surely,something would have ...."She pales, her eyes rolling backwards as she starts to convulse.
Simon hovers over the girl, his hands miming healing actions, though he hesitates to actually touch her, afraid the change may overcome her again and result in him being chomped. Summoning all his courage, Simon reaches a single hand to steady the girl, imparting a bit of resistance to her for good measure.
Chrystosm will take his bedroll and wrap the girl in it in an attempt to prevent her from hurting herself, himself, and Simon.
Chrystosm reaches for his bedroll ready to help the child, before he too is wracked with agony as the wolfsbane finally bites. Jeva throws the gesture off violently, an agonized howl forced up from deep inside her. Her limbs buckle as the wolf fights back, bones snapping in the process.
Kast continues to keep watch above, listening for sounds of distress above and below ground.
If trees could scream, would we be so callous about cutting them down?
Probably...if they screamed all the time and for no good reason.*
Nimeon's eyebrows raise slightly as he recognizes the scale.
"What would a kobold be doing there?"
Othoe looks sidelong at Kast and then sweeps the horizon. Then he looks at Kast again.
"So, Kast... Uh, how's it going?"
I wonder if everyone is OK?
"Huh.. now that you mention it, those tracks could have been kobold tracks. Did you notice the tail line between the foot prints? I guess we don't have to worry about them going back to the first world."
Do itches itch just so we have the opportunity to feel good by scratching them?
Kast scratches his butt, philosophizing, when he is shaken out of his very deep thoughts by Othoe's screaming.
"Uh...wut? Oh, all clear up here, Othoe!" Kast replies.
What's the difference between a gnome and halfling?
The smell.
Simon starts to panic as both of his patients convulse. I swear I made the brew correctly! He yells for help, expecting the worse, but the terror of the situation impacts him like combat, turning his words to a foreign tongue.
Huh. A problem with the werewolf, go figure.
"Kast, Simon is calling for us, he says there's a problem."
Othoe goes downstairs to see what he can do to help.
Kast hops to attention at Othoe's warning and moves to shout down to the basement.
"What's wrong Simon? Do you need something?"
Even from the doorway, Kast can hear the snarls and screams of the girl as the poison and the disease wage war inside her. Next to her, Chrystosm too fights off the poison. Stronger than the child, and with (so far) only the poison to deal with, Chrystosm is able to keep his faculties, though only barely.
"You're right Dorial, don't know why I didn't see it before. Makes me wonder even more what those two kobolds were doing at the old ruin where we found them."
Othoe watches as Chrystosm and the girl writhe on the ground in pain. He looks at Simon and says dryly, "So what exactly are we supposed to do?"
Seems to me we just wait this out, but maybe Simon has a plan.
Othoe shrugs and casts Prestidigitation to wipe some of the froth from Chrystosm's lips.
Rolling around on the floor and clutching his stomach, Chrystosm grits his teeth and attempts to rise above the agonising cramps ravaging his insides.
Another minute passes and the girl falls silent for a moment, still as death. Suddenly, she lurches, coiling onto her side and heaving as if her stomach would turn inside out.
Chrystosm gives another groan, then feels the pain begin to ease.
Chrystosm crawls over to the girl, attempting to comfort her.
"C-can't you give her something to stop the retching, or the convulsions?", he asks Simon, in a weak voice.
Kast stands helplessly, looking down from the above.
I don't have a thing to offer to help. Maybe a pithy though about death? A prayer?
What is the difference?
The girl curls towards the sound of Chrystosm's voice, her hands curling and uncurling into claws. They might hurt, if there was any strength behind them, but the poison has weakened her so much that her body can't even change fully into her hybrid form. It tries, though, the wolfsbane against the lycanthropy. Finally, she gives one last shudder, and settles back into her fully human and horribly wracked self.
*************************************
Simon gapes like a fish, speechless, while he dances about the convulsing girl, his arms flapping awkwardly. He tries to support and assist where he can, though it appears he does little more than keeping her from hitting her head on the ground as her body contorts. But within a minute the convulsions stop and Simon collapses into a blubbery wreck at the child's feet, relieved and thankful to the point of tears.
Alright then, glad that's over.
"So now what do we do? I can't imagine the girl is in any shape to move with us, we can't take the time to take her all the way back to town, and even I think it would be cruel to leave her here in what used to be her torture chamber."
Othoe sighs.
"I suppose we could carry her with us..." he looks to Simon, "Couldn't we? I don't like it, but I can't think of anything else to do just now."
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Dorial and Nimeon, having gathered all the evidence they can without actually leaving their companions behind, return to the ruin to find a very relieved Simon with two living patients and two reluctant assistants debating just what to do now.
"Yes, yes, Othoe, I'll carry her, she'll just slow me down a little, not much at all really, and we can't leave her here! I'm sure she doesn't weigh that much more than Old Bones and I carried his grumbling nonsense all the way back from the mountain." Simon considers the girl for a moment, "However, Old Bones was much easier being stuffed into a sack and I don't have that option with the girl, so it will be a bit more awkward, but we can manage." Simon offers a smile of reassurance to Othoe, but his tear streaked, crazy grin, frazzled countenance does little to inspire confidence.
Kast smiles as Simon's worried look lessens.
"You did fine, Simon. You're a real hero," Kast says with appreciation. "Did you want me to help carry her too? We can take turns if you'd like."
Kast looks around.
"Where are we going next?"
"We found the camp used by the other 3 children. Looks like kobolds took them. We'll search this area then follow those tracks to the children."
"Right"
Chrystosm attempts to clean the dried bile and drool off his face with a handkerchief he has about his person, not ending up very much cleaner than he was when he started.
"Listen, I know we need to hurry, but I feel like cr- ,er, I mean, I feel dreadful. Hasn't anyone got anything reviving about them?"
He coughs theatrically.
"I got water, Chrystosm. As pure and perfect as Irori himself, if you want it." Kast offers to hand Chrysto his waterskin. "Drink deep. The purity within will help your body cleanse itself of the poisons."
After Chrysto drinks (or if he doesn't), Kast will cast Create Water to refill the skin and he will drink deep.
I have a hero's thirst.
Given a little time, an evening's sleep perhaps, Jeva should at least be able to walk for herself, though she will likely prove more hindrance than help on the way.
With one person to watch over her, the others have time to scout about the place, finding another victim of the wolf in the groundskeepers shed in the back. A long shelf from one wall hangs broken next to him, with many broken jars and bottles nearby.