Doesn't she have a magic short sword... yes Red Destiny.
She might, I think I remember something yes - it is not a part of the Loot list anymore though :D
The party heads towards the docks of Avalon bay as per directed by Cesadia. It is pouring heavily down there and the only few people in the streets moving around in waxcoats.
"We need to find this Remsatter." Piotr takes the direct approach and goes up to one of the people moving around in wax coats. "Hey, um... we're looking for Toli Remsatter. Do you know where he is by any chance?"
Garrosh follows Piotr.
"He's in his house," The person in a wax coat says gruffly while pointing at one of the wooden houses nearby."Who in their right mind would be out in this weather?"
Going to the house pointed out, Piotr knocks on the door to have it opened by a short bald man who has a twitchy eye. "Who are you and what do you want?"
"We come at the request of Master Cesadia - to investigate the cove" - Garrosh replies.
"She said you think someone is living there. Can we come in to talk about it?" Piotr asks hopefully as water hammers into him.
Hanako glances down at a couple of pink petals stuck to her leg. Pointing to the flowers in her hair, she seconds Piotr’s request to enter.
“My flowers are being overwatered,” she laments to the man in his nice, dry home. More pitiful than her wilting hair is Hanako’s expression of puppy eyes and pouty lips.
"Oh ok, come in." The short bald man with a twitchy eye opens the door as the party moves in.
The interior of the house smells strongly of fish, with multiple baskets and nets strewn around the side walls. There is a dining table with four stools. "Eh, I don't often have guests here. Just find somewhere to sit, but not on the nets please, I don't want them damaged."
"Thank you" Piotr does the math, the ratio between stools and bottoms, so he leans against the wall with his arms crossed. "So who do you think is in the cove?"
Hanako inhales deeply.
“Ah, delightful! Thank you for inviting us in. Perhaps as an expression of my gratitude, I can provide a quiet, ambient tune while you chat.”
Hanako takes out her viol, and plays in a way that doesn’t drown conversation. Piotr is the first to notice that, as Hanako stands near him, his hair gradually dries, followed by shoulders and down…
…and, unless asked to stop, she will make the whole party feel warm and dry, including the host. He is not wet, but will surely benefit from the cantrip’s cleaning effect.
The corner of Piotr's mouth rises at the tune and the drying, and he gives the bard a nod of thanks.
Kilarra nods brusquely, and takes a seat on a stool. She does wipe her hooves off before entering the place. She doesn't mind the rain, except if it blurs her vision.
"I'm Toli. So I was telling Cesadia I saw a green light coming from one of those island coves at Avalon Bay the other day I went fishing in the evening, and man, that's spooky as hell," Toli says, giving a shudder. "I mean those coves are often used by smugglers, but I should think that if it were smugglers - it would be torch light and not...that...eerie witchlight."
"Add that people have been disappearing from Thrushmoor, you know, it takes a fool not to put two and two together." He adds.
"The Brairstone Witch, you thinking?" Piotr asks, interested.
"Hush, its bad to speak her name out loud," Toli shushes Piotr. "Lore says that it'll draw her attention to you. But yes."
Toli pays the humming Hanako no heed, but he doesn't really seem to appreciate music.
Hanako says, “The name is not important. I believe if the green light is from… her… I will know if she is truly the Witch With a B when I see her face.”
"Would you be willing to take us to the cove Toli, or show us how to get there?" - Garrosh pipes in - "I assume we need a boat?"
"And how would you know if it was her? It's not as if you've seen her before right," Toli scoffs.
"I have a boat and I could take you there, but in this rain, really? Even so, I wouldn't want to stay there long. That witch might get me next."Toli answers.
Hanako replies, “Not personally, no. But I have seen—” Hanako is aware she should not discuss her magic here. “—her likeness. Whether the face I would recognize is the true face, I cannot be completely certain. But I trust the source of this vis—” Don’t say ‘vision!’ “—ual aid.”
"Could we rent the boat, then?" Kilarra asks, thinking about ways to keep the man from having to risk his life.
"Seems like a solid option, if it is not a far away place we have to navigate to" - Garrosh nods in agreement.
"Not sure how you could have seen her since her last appearance was 800 years ago," Toli continues dubiously, "But whatever."
"You don't know where the cove is and your chances of finding it in this storm? No good."Toli replies.
Not seen in 800 years, except – in my mind!
Not wanting to sound like a crazy person, Hanako instead replies, “No wonder she looked so old.”
She then switches the topic. “So what is the best way to get to the cove? Are you willing to take us? Must we wait out the storm?” For all Hanako knows, this storm could last five more minutes or six more days.
"I'm willing to bring you to the cove, not in this storm, but I'll pick you all up in about 2 hours. I'm not intending to be hanging around those witchy coves that long."Toli replies.
Kilarra realizes the heavy storm provably would subside in a few hours, but by then it would be already dark.
"The storm's only going to be a few hours." Kilarra answers Hanako. "If there's anything there like bandits, they might be sleeping, which means we could ambush them in the night. Two hours to come get us isn't bad. If it isn't too far, we could use something like a signal horn to say that we're all done."
Hanako thinks waiting two hours is boring, BUT—
“Ooh! I have an idea to pass the time! How about a visit to Maeve and Naysa? I would LOVE to tell them the good news! Of course, we must complete our task at the cove to hold our end of the bargain, so we should plan on being back here before the two hours is up.”
Not sure anyone else thinks her idea is all that great, she decides not to oversell. “I mean… you know… if you prefer to move around, get a task out of the way, not just stay put.”
"Seems like it is probably lunchtime." the big man rubs his stomach. "We could go back to the inn for more stew?" Piotr suggests hopefully.
"Stews good. I could go for some Oldlaw. Lets come back here when the rain lets up." Kilarra replies. She nods to Toli, who's name has already escaped her. Then she exits into the stormy evening.
Hanako thinks waiting two hours is boring, BUT—
“Ooh! I have an idea to pass the time! How about a visit to Maeve and Naysa? I would LOVE to tell them the good news! Of course, we must complete our task at the cove to hold our end of the bargain, so we should plan on being back here before the two hours is up.”
"We do not have any good news yet" - Garrosh grunts - "And you should stop assuming stuff about her aunt"
Nodding back at Piotr and Kilarra, the half-orc seems in agreement with them - "Agreed, lets go grab some lunch. Toli, would you like to join us?"
"Sure why not, I wouldn't say no to a free lunch."Toli replies, and gets a wax coat and puts it on. "I don't have spares,"he tells the party as they head through the pouring rain back to the Silver Wagon. As soon as they're seated, the pimply waitress passes them a menu and waits for their orders. "You know Winter's tab doesn't cover him," she points at Toli. "Fresh catch of the day is Trout from Avalon Bay."
Appetizers
Mushroom balls
Potato and Turkey salad
Beef Tongue and Olive stew
Pork Cracklings
Soups
Creamy Romesco Soup
Semolina dumpling soup
Fish chowder
Mains
Provencale Trout
Potato Crusted Pike
Chicken in tomato sauce
Goulash with dumplings
Smoked Pork and Cauliflower Cheese
Deserts
Chocolate and nut crispy squares
Layer cake with apple and cinnamon filling
Sugar dusted doughballs
Drinks
Apple Cider
Peach Cider
Oldlaw Whisper
Bourbon scotch
Feteasca Neagra
Cramposie Selectionata
"That is ok" - Garrosh nods at the waitress - "We will pay for the meals - I will have the mushroom balls, the catch of the day and the white wine. I hear it is what one is supposed to have with fish" - he shrugs, and passes the menu to the person sitting next to him - "And some bread, and butter if you have it"
Hanako places her order: “Chowder. Pike. Water.”
These are the only three words she’s said since walking through the storm. She makes no music to dry herself or others.
She then tells what is obviously a lie, which might fool Tomi—
“I should pray in my native tongue before eating.”
—or not.
She’s clearly got a chip on her shoulder. Or perhaps she is praying for Naysa and Meave, whose names come up as the first and third-or-fourth words among the girl’s feral tongue…?
<What does matter is your lack of faith in my vision. I say it matters not because I am easily offended. I am not offended at all. I am concerned that I am going to see a woman in that cove and I will say ‘that is the Briar Witch’ —or— ‘that is not her.’ I will say this with certainty because I have seen the face. But the way you speak of the aunt makes me assume you will contradict my words, as if my spell just showed me a random old lady in a yellow-skied city.
<So before you cast another doubt on my magic, or my own ability to understand my own magic, ask yourself a question. Why would I bother to cast the spell at all if the information is unreliable?—especially knowing that each casting means one less time I can heal you, or one less time I can fight as effectively as I did at the dock?>
The prayer is as lengthy as it is joyless. Hanako adds an “oh, ummm… amen,” which seems like a prayerful word, then adds awkwardly, “I am done praying now.”
She maintains eye contact with her fork.
Garrosh chuckles and shakes his head - "Hanako, if there is something you would like to discuss in private, we can step outside - no one would mind" - he nods at her.
“Yes. I should do that.”
Hanako lets her flower crawl from her hair and cling onto her glass of water. She then gets up and steps out into the rain.
She is obviously timid, despite Garrosh’s apparent amusement, and is bracing herself for… unpleasantness.
"Hmm, we do have some Liliac in the cellar. I'll get it to pair with the trout."The waitress answers, "And we always have bread and butter."
On hearing Garrosh agreeing to pay for his meal, Toli starts ordering, "I'll have beef tongue with olive stew, smoked pork and cauliflower cheese and chocolate and nut crispy squares. With a Kahve."
Garrosh follows Hanako outside - "Say your piece then, or shall I say mine?" - he grunts.
“My piece? Well…”
The girl is clearly more comfortable with the buckets of rain in her hair than talking to Garrosh in this way. Her tone may sound too meek to come off as confrontational, but for Hanako, this is not a way to talk to…
“When have any of my spells or honeyed words failed to benefit us and the innocents we sought to protect?” She throws up her hands in frustration (but her playful nature gets the better of her, and upturned palms linger to catch the rain). “Not once!
“And yet, you would rather travel 60 miles out of the way to prove me wrong than trust my vision. And that makes it very hard for me to trust you. How am I supposed to warn you all of the Briar Witch’s identity if my visions are trivialized no less than a drunkard’s fish story? Where do I fit into this ‘act as one’ concept? Do you think because my magic is driven by passion, my spells are just whimsical toys? Did I look like I was playing when I insulted that mouth monster to death?
“And I am not saying any of this to insult you. I am recognizing the inherent danger of having a trust issue and the need to get past… whatever this is.”
"Hanako... Are you even listening to what you are saying?" - Garrosh replies calmly - "Do you know what it sounds like when you simply expect everyone around you to accept your 'vision' as reality just like that?" - he asks - "Even more so, when you set yourself, and expect us all to follow, making decisions based on them, and assuming they are final, because you have 'seen' it so?" - the half-orc adds - "I am almost completely certain you mean well, and I have never questioned your role as we have all fought side by side. But this... I am willing to travel 60 miles to make sure we are doing the best for that child, while you choose to feel offended by it, because hey, you already had your vision so all is set in stone? Is that how you want to decide upon a children's life?"
Piotr is completely engrossed with the menu "I could live here forever" he tells the waitress with an awed grin "Pork Cracklings, whatever they are, I don't care but..." he shakes his head in wonder. "Um.. and chowder and the pike... and whiskey please. Very very much, please. And thank you."
He has completely missed the tension and the leavings of his companions.
“No,” Hanako replies. “My vision showed a conversation—a real conversation, not a dream or a figment, about a rich woman who made a fuss when approached by Pharasmins and is cruel to servants. The acolyte told me the aunt is in fact rich, lives by the river and made a fuss when approached by Pharasmins—and the fuss was about taking care of Maeve. The aunt does not want her, and Maeve wants to stay with Naysa. Naysa wants to adopt her, but feared she could not get work. Ms. Wrentz is going to get Naysa a job as a nurse and see that she obtains legal guardianship—as payment to me.
“So yes, I am certain as can be that I am acting in the child’s best interest. But this is not about what I think or you think. It is Maeve and Naysa who have to live with this arrangement, so all I ask of you is to not undermine my effort. The only adult who should be able to say ‘no’ at this point is Naysa, or Ms. Werntz if I fail to hold my end of the bargain.”
Hanako shrugs. “Would it help if I explain how my visions work? The short answer to your question is I expect you to accept the facts, not fall in line with my opinions.”
”You do not even wish to check upon the girl’s aunt for yourself and give her a chance, because you overheard a conversation about her? You do realize that is poor judgement do you not? Concluding on Maeve’s future based on hearsay and nothing else” - Garrosh adds - ”Your spell showed a conversation you could have heard in a tavern, and the acolyte’s words are subjective and based on his own perception. I think you are not taking enough care about this, and are jumping to the conclusions you find appealing when you have nowhere nearly enough actual ‘facts’ - he is more serious now, much more - ”I know a thing or two about wrongful accusations without proof or verification. I am not undermining your efforts, like you well said this is not about you. I am voicing my opinion, which carries as much weight as yours” - the half orc nods - ”As I have always allowed yours, you will also allow mine. Without speaking to the aunt first, I disagree with your assumptions, and that the only adults entitled an opinion are Naysa or Ms Werntz”
Hanako is visibly frustrated when Garrosh says and nothing else.
I literally just told him everything else!
She takes a breath and tries to be concise, or at least avoid repeating herself. “You are mistaken. I thought Maeve had no choice but to go to her aunt, so I cast my spell expecting to reassure Maeve it is simply her mother’s sister or father’s sister, an ordinary member of the family that she would soon meet for the first time. Instead, I learned something alarming. So what was I supposed to do? Lie? Withhold information? Delay so I can think of a neutral spin? You see, that would have been manipulative. That would have been irresponsible.
“You know what else is irresponsible? Forcing Maeve away from Naysa, who loves her, to go to an aunt she never met or even knew existed. Maybe the ladies in my vision were wrong. Maybe they’re mistaken, and she’s a nice person. Or maybe the Church of Pharasma is mistaken, and she is not related to Maeve at all, which would explain why neither knew the other existed.
“No matter how you look at it, the aunt is a gamble. Naysa is a sure thing. So please, leave my arrangement be unless Maeve, Naysa or Ms. Werntz has a change of heart.”