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"No, that's not weird. I feel the same about my dad too. It sounds like it's been a while since you've seen your dad. Maybe when we're done saving the world, I can go with you to visit him."
Quasit is silent at this, but manages a vague nod.
"I think we should sleep now. Fin wants to get going early tomorrow. I mean, unless you want to keep talking. "
"No, you're right, we should sleep. Thanks for listening. It was actually good that I talked about that."
"And, by the way, you're nothing like your mother but we can talk about that later."
Quasit smirks darkly. "You may not want to jump into that bag of cats." she says. "But it's nice of you to say. Good night Saki."
She pulls up her blanket to her chin and attempts to sleep.
Selena sticks her tongue out at Maka playfully as the snow magically forms itself into the side of a perfectly ordinary looking snowdrift.
Your travel back to the Hut is quiet, with no events of note to interrupt your travel. You find the Hut much as you'd left it.
When you open the door, Ratibor looks up from where he'd been trying to convince himself that playing dice with himself was interesting.
"You are back," he states, hope warring with caution on his face. "Did you find it?"
"I'm glad you're confident Tez because I'll be about as useful as a bag of rocks for this ritual I suspect."
"Any plans for your future now Ratibor?"
Ratibor shrugs slightly. "It's been so long since I've had a future that I know nothing of what I'll do with it, beyond get as far as possible from this accursed Hut."
"Ahh, you don't want to go with us?"
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Fin nods reluctantly. ”Aye, you’re welcome to come with us…but were I in your shoes, I’d do the same thing…put as much distance away from this hut as possible…well, let’s get this done so you can start your new life…”
He sighs, then looks to Tezuzu. ”OK, Tez, you said it’s straightforward, let’s free the man…and let me know if I can be of help…”
Fin steps back and let’s the Tengu drive this ritual…
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"Yes... well.. don't rush me." says Tezuzu as he begins to fumble through the bag of holding for the ritual tome. He pulls out a few other extraneous items and tosses them aside before finding the book in question.
"Just because it's straightforward doesn't mean the process isn't delicate. Now, I'll need some room... I need to make a circle precisely 8 feet in diameter. And I'll need some sort of root vegetable -- potato, turnip, rutabaga -- whatever you can find. Oh wait, never mind, I bought some back at Vurnirn."
"Now, Ratibor, once I'm ready to begin, you must have all your possessions inside the circle. If even one thing is left outside and you then try to take it with you, Baba Yaga will be able to find you and renew the Compulsion Hex. And she will most likely have some nasty punishment for your disobedience as well."
Tezuzu spends the next 45 minutes scratching out a circle on the floor using a combination of red, black and white inks, sometimes using a brush, but sometimes using his claw and digging into the wood of the floor a bit. The circle is punctuated by numerous runes and symbols, and a recurring motif of eyes in groups of three, some of them open, some closed, interspersed with leaves and vines. The tengu works quickly and expertly, but stops often to consult the book, and occasionally takes some time to scratch out some calculations in a notebook or to practice certain difficult glyphs. At last he is finished. He fills a basket with turnips and beets and places it in the very center of the circle.
"All right Ratibor, take your place. While the I am conducting the ritual, you must eat those vegetables and keep your eyes closed tight. Do not open them for any reason, and do not stop eating for even a moment! Selena, Sakitu, if you would be so kind, I'd like you to cast spells to detect magic and keep a watch for any intrusions of spirits or scrying eyes. Findurel, it's not impossible that some guardian may appear to try and interrupt us, either through a contingency in the spell, or from the Hut itself. Baba Yaga is crafty. So you and the others should be on your guard. But at no point must you enter the circle, or even touch its edge! If you do, it may be... messy."
"There is a spiritual tether bound to Ratibor's soul. As the ritual progresses, it will become visible, and if all goes well, it will shatter before our eyes with a satisfying little snapping sound. Or an explosion. But quite safely. It would only be an astral explosion. Those hardly hurt at all. Usually."
'Most likely this will go smoothly and be over in a couple minutes. Yes. I'm almost certain it will be quite simple. Quite safe. Very certain. All ready?"
Once everyone is set, Tezuzu raises a claw in the air and begins to speak the ritual words, repeating them over and over.
"Nashram dilivu de haviluk"
"Nashram dilivu de haviluk"
"Nashram dilivu de haviluk"
"Nashram dilivu de haviluk"...
Selena helps setup the circle, completely ignoring the book, and in her usual manner of making corrections and tweaks, fixing errors and completing segments before Tez even finds the relevant passages in the book, seeming to have an almost innate sense about the magic's structure.
Selena finds that her intuition is... wrong as often as right. In spite of how familiar the magic feels, it's so far beyond her current level that she sometimes finds herself staring at what she's done with nothing but a sense that it's wrong before Tezuzu is able to catch up and correct her out of the cookbook.
Amazingly enough, the process goes smoothly in spite of the rocky setup. Well, the tether doesn't quite seem like you might have expected. It's more like... a whole lot of little fishhooks rather than one little tether. They don't explode, they don't even shatter, they just kind of... slowly dissolve into dust.
At last it's done. Ratibor takes a deep breath and lets it out. "I can feel it," he murmurs. "I'm free."
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Fin nods in deference to Tezuzu. ”Nice job, Tez!”
The Elf smiles warmly at Ratibor as he approaches and clasps arms with the warrior. ”So tell me, my friend, what will you do now? I know you wish to leave the hut but where will you go? There’s a centaur town, Vurnirn, not too far from here…Chief Korak Kaag’s tribe of centaurs is also nearby; they are friends of ours so mention us and I’m sure they’ll put you up for a night or so…
“Also, do you have sufficient coin?” Fin asks as he reaches into his pouch, retrieving a dozen gold and giving it to Ratibor. ”Here’s a little gold…it should help you with some traveling expenses till you reach your destination. I wish you good fortune…should we somehow meet again in our travels, you are always welcome at my fire. Fare thee well!”
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Selena finds that her intuition is... wrong as often as right. In spite of how familiar the magic feels, it's so far beyond her current level that she sometimes finds herself staring at what she's done with nothing but a sense that it's wrong before Tezuzu is able to catch up and correct her out of the cookbook.
Sometimes Tezuzu stops to engage in pedantic exposition when he discovers a reasonable but erroneous assumption from Selena, patiently and vividly digressing about the principles involved. At other times he rewards a sloppy mistake with a sharp rap on Selena's knuckles and much tutting.
Fin nods in deference to Tezuzu. ”Nice job, Tez!”
Tezuzu strokes the feathers directly under his beak, looking a little like an old man stroking a beard. "Bah, this is nothing. As I said, quite straightforward. In fact, I fancy I would have been done in half the time if not for certain distractions..." he adds with an imperious glance at the halfling. "But I'm delighted to have been of assistance."
He does actually seem rather delighted, for him.
"If you have no great plans I'd start by generally heading to the south... if we succeed it'll go back to being warmer down there but which will be a change of pace I suspect."
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"If you have no great plans I'd start by generally heading to the south... if we succeed it'll go back to being warmer down there but which will be a change of pace I suspect."
Fin nods to Bull. ”Ah, my friend, if I recall correctly, Ratibor here hails from Iobaria…so this is his home and I’d imagine he’s used to the cold…but he’s been standing guard here for…a very long time. I’d imagine a lot has changed…”
Seeing Quasit slip out, Fin hides a frown. He knew Q had liked Ratibor. Perhaps something is bothering her…
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Sakitu plays her assigned part in the ritual and made sure that there were no unintended magical interruptions during Tez's work. As expected, it all goes well.
She let's Fin and the other do all the talking with Ratibor. Even though she is interested in moving on to the next stop on the journey, she isn't willing to enter the house by herself so she waits for the others. She doesn't notice Quasit slip inside.
"True enough but we're just east of the River Kingdoms so I'd say it's normally more wet than being this cold normally outside of deep winter. If he wants real warmth Osirian or Qadira maybe worth considering."
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Fin shrugs. ”Aye, you may be right, Bull…anyone he knew before his tour as hut guard has likely long since passed…he might just want to start anew, someplace else, perhaps someplace far from here…”
He clasps arms again with Ratibor, bidding him adieu, and excuses himself…he tries to find Quasit, checking the cauldron room first…
If he finds her with Zorka, he won’t interrupt…if Fin finds her alone, he’ll approach and ask gently, ”Q…uh…hmm…is something wrong?”
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Quasit jumps, startled. She looks around and exhales heavily. "Jeepers, you scared me." she says, then lets out an embarrassed chuckle. "Even when you aren't sneaking, you're like a ninja."
"Nah, nothing's wrong, just making sure all the rooms here are where we left them, I guess. And... well, I'm glad we helped Ratibor. No one deserves to be held in captivity for all eternity. But we don't really know much of anything about him, and now we most likely won't ever see him again. And I didn't want to step on Tezzy's moment. You know."
Then, perhaps noting that this is the first time she and Findurel have been alone since Vurnirn, Quasit gives him a sly look. "So, this is your chance to call me a hypocrite if you want."
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Quasit jumps, startled. She looks around and exhales heavily. "Jeepers, you scared me." she says, then lets out an embarrassed chuckle. "Even when you aren't sneaking, you're like a ninja."
Fin smiles apologetically. ”Sorry, Q, didn’t mean to startle you. Old habits die hard…”
"Nah, nothing's wrong, just making sure all the rooms here are where we left them, I guess. And... well, I'm glad we helped Ratibor. No one deserves to be held in captivity for all eternity. But we don't really know much of anything about him, and now we most likely won't ever see him again. And I didn't want to step on Tezzy's moment. You know."
While Fin thinks there might be more to it than Quasit is letting on, he won’t push her; he figures she must have a good reason to keep things to herself…
The Elf nods his head just slightly. ”No worries, Q…we’ve been through a lot on this journey…and just wanted to make sure you’re OK. I hope you know you can bend my ear any time you wish…”
Then, perhaps noting that this is the first time she and Findurel have been alone since Vurnirn, Quasit gives him a sly look. "So, this is your chance to call me a hypocrite if you want."
Fin snorts…but Quasit can easily tell it’s aimed at himself, not at her. ”Q, you should know that, of all people, I have no right to call you a hypocrite…especially when it comes to Maka. You were wasted…don’t think I’ve seen you that drunk before…hell, you didn’t even recall it happening when you first awoke. As for me…uh…well…you know…” His cheeks turn a bit red and he follows up with a shrug…
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The Elf nods his head just slightly. ”No worries, Q…we’ve been through a lot on this journey…and just wanted to make sure you’re OK. I hope you know you can bend my ear any time you wish…”
"Ha! Careful what you wish for!"
"As for me…uh…well…you know…” His cheeks turn a bit red and he follows up with a shrug…
Quasit cocks her head to the side and looks concerned. "What do you mean?" she asks.
"Yes! It is time to go..." Ratibor begins, then frowns. "It has been... what is the year now? Absalom Reckoning."
Quasit (and Fin) finds things just as they were when you left the Hut. The little housekeeper is nowhere to be seen... until the conversation between Quasit and Fin seems to be getting interesting, at which point Zorka suddenly interrupts. "You are back, you are back. That was short, it was quiet."
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"Ha! Careful what you wish for!"
Fin quips, ”In my failed attempts to banter with you, Q, you surely know that if you need a faulty perspective from a male point of view, I’m your Elf…”
Quasit cocks her head to the side and looks concerned. "What do you mean?" she asks.
Fin turns a bit redder and he lets out a long sigh. ”I just meant that…when you had your moment in Vurnirn, you were three sheets to the wind; as for my tryst with Maka, I was completely sober and knew exactly what I was doing…and, if I had to go back and do it all over again, recalling my feelings from that night, I’m sure I’d do it the same way…
“That’s what I meant when I said I’m not the one to be calling you a hypocrite…”
Fin suddenly jumps a bit upon being interrupted, reaching for his bow until he sees Zorka. Not used to be startled as such, he shakes his head, muttering, ”Erastil’s antlers, Zorka! You scared the daylights out of me!”
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”…and, if I had to go back and do it all over again, recalling my feelings from that night, I’m sure I’d do it the same way…
“That’s what I meant when I said I’m not the one to be calling you a hypocrite…”
"Ah. Huh." says Quasit nodding. Then she smiles. "We're both lucky Bulvi is so understanding." She rubs her hair, as she sometimes does when she's feeling some consternation. "I won't say that's nearly the first time I've gotten drunk and thrown myself at someone. But Maka... that kinda throws me. I swear I prefer men. I guess I'm lucky I wasn't dancing with Izzy, or I might be laying alligator eggs right now."
”Erastil’s antlers, Zorka! You scared the daylights out of me!”
Quasit seems pleased to see Findurêl getting a taste of his own medicine, and favors Zorka with a warm greeting. "Glad to hear it Zorka! We killed off several more of those frost giants who attacked the Hut a couple weeks back, but I was afraid they might make another try while we were gone. You should know we're set Ratibor free of his binding spell, so I assume he'll be leaving immediately."
She pulls off the ruby ring she salvaged in Artrosa from Vselvelod's trove and hands it to the Housekeeper. "Here. For you. A souvenir from our mission."
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"We're both lucky Bulvi is so understanding."
Fin gives her a guilty look when she mentions Bulvi. ”You’re right ‘bout that…I never told Bull…didn’t think it was my place…but I’m sure Maka did as she’s always open about that…thought he might just walk up and punch me…still not sure he won’t…”
Knowing how much Quasit values treasure, Fin smiles as Quasit gives the ring to Zorka. He looks to the hut’s keeper, asking, ”Zorka, you once told us that the keys decide the next destination of the hut…is there any way to calculate the destination by studying the keys prior to submerging them in the cauldron?”
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"Yes! It is time to go..." Ratibor begins, then frowns. "It has been... what is the year now? Absalom Reckoning."
"4718 I think. But it's definitely 9783 by the Jalmaraian calendar." Maka leaned against Bulvi, her chin resting on the top of his head. Her signature toothy grin spread across her face, the fire monk was clearly at ease.
"That... that can't be right," Ratibor mutters. "I have to... I have to see it. I have to see..."
He starts walking towards the door like a man sleepwalking.
Zorka takes the ring quietly, looks it over, shrugs, and shoves it in a pocket. "That is the Witch-Queen's secret, yes," the little creature replies to Fin's question. "All I see is there is something similar between the place we go and the keys put in, yes?"
"So it's similar to sympathetic magic?" Selena asked having listened to Zorka from the corner of the room with interest.
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Fin nods at Zorka’s words and then turns to Quasit. ”Q, if we’re going to use the keys now, I better go back and check on Ratibor…he needs to leave the hut if he’s not going with us…”
He scurries back to the other room. Seeing the Iobarian hesitate as he walks to the door, he says, ”Ratibor, I came to say we’ll be using the keys soon and we don’t know where the hut may take us; so if you’re leaving, you need to go now. However, you are still welcome to journey with us, if you’ve changed your mind…a lot of time must’ve passed since you’ve stood guard here…perhaps time goes by differently in the hut…we’d welcome your company, but it’s your choice…”
"That... that can't be right," Ratibor mutters. "I have to... I have to see it. I have to see..."
He starts walking towards the door like a man sleepwalking.
"How do you tell the year from being outside?" Maka asked, not quite grasping the gravity of the situation.
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Fin nods at Zorka’s words and then turns to Quasit. ”Q, if we’re going to use the keys now, I better go back and check on Ratibor…he needs to leave the hut if he’s not going with us…”
Quasit nods and shrugs. "There's no real rush. The Hut's been sitting here unmolested for a couple weeks now, a few more hours wouldn't hurt anything. He can take his time. But I can't imagine him wanting to stay here any longer."
She pulls a jar off one of the cabinets and looks it over. "It might not be so cozy when we land... wherever we land."
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"How do you tell the year from being outside?" Maka asked, not quite grasping the gravity of the situation.
Fin looks to Maka. ”I’m guessing he can tell from some of the landmarks…apparently, he’s been stuck in here longer than even I thought…either thru by the enchantment or due to some properties of this hut…”
Turning to the Iobarian, Fin says, ”Take your time my, friend…our offer still stands…”
Fin looks to Maka. ”I’m guessing he can tell from some of the landmarks…apparently, he’s been stuck in here longer than even I thought…either thru by the enchantment or due to some properties of this hut…”
"Oh. Ohhhh...Oh." Maka's eyes turned saucers and welled with tears as realization finally struck her. "I'm sorry."
Zorka gives Selena a shrug. "The Witch-Queen does not explain this to me."
Ratibor seems hardly to hear the group, simply shaking his head and muttering to himself. "No... no, it can't be possible. Can't be so long... Two hundred years? Surely not."
He steps to the door and opens it.
Maka frantically looked around the room for a solution to the problem before running to find Quasit. "Hey Quasit, we just found out Ratibor has been in here for several hundred years and I don't think he is handling it well. He's leaving but should we...what should we do?"
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Knowing nothing he can say will comfort Ratibor, Fin shrugs. ”It would appear that way my friend…I assume the spell you were under either had some sort of magic that greatly slowed your age or the hut has that effect on those who dwell within it…
“Look around and see if you’re aware of this area. All I can tell you is, we’re in the Hoofwood in Iobaria: Vurnirn is a hard days travel to the east…and Artrosa about three days journey to the northeast…Korak Kaag’s camp is usually not too far northwest of Vurnirn…any of that sound familiar?”
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Maka frantically looked around the room for a solution to the problem before running to find Quasit. "Hey Quasit, we just found out Ratibor has been in here for several hundred years and I don't think he is handling it well. He's leaving but should we...what should we do?"
Quasit turns to look at Maka and shrugs. "What *can* we do? We can't turn back time and undo the past. And we can't hold his hand. We have our own mission."
She crosses her arms in front of herself and looks to the side. "He's a big boy. He'll adjust. He's been given a second chance at life, which is more than most people get in this world."
She thinks for a moment, then sneaks a glance at Maka again. "I don't suppose we could convince him to take Selena with him?" she quips.
She thinks for a moment, then sneaks a glance at Maka again. "I don't suppose we could convince him to take Selena with him?" she quips.
Maka's face scrunched up at the thought. "Well what ever we do we can't do that, Ratibor is going through enough." The fire monk replied without a hint of humor. "I guess you are right, but I don't like it."
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"Well what ever we do we can't do that, Ratibor is going through enough." The fire monk replied without a hint of humor.
Quasit snork-laughs at this. "I suppose you're right. Worth a shot."
"I guess you are right, but I don't like it."
Quasit sits on a table, her legs dangling. "I get it. He's been only half-aware of time passing in this weird place, so the truth has probably left him feeling shocked as it sinks in. He's probably been fantasizing all this time about returning to his home and his family and resuming whatever he was doing before in his life. That's a lot to adjust to. But he'll do what we all do -- he'll find new people and a new home and a new life. This is a good day for him, in the long run."
Quasit cocks her head to the side and regards her friend a moment. "You feel everything so intensely." she observes. "You kinda remind me of my brother. The nice one, not the ass-hole one. His heart was wide open. It's why I..."
She stops herself abruptly, fumbles for a moment, then finishes the thought, obviously with a different ending. "...why it was so easy for me to get him in trouble." she laughs.
Ratibor pauses on the doorstep and looks back. "I do thank you for your service to me. Perhaps if you come this way again I may repay you. But I must go and see for myself. Farewell."
With that he steps out the door.
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Fin nods and bows. ” I understand; were I in your shoes, I’d do the same. Farewell, my friend and good travels. Remember to mention us should you venture to the centaur camp…”
He waves to Ratibor from the porch and heads back to find Quasit. ”Q, Ratibor is gone; we can use the keys whenever you’re ready. Wonder where this hut will take us next…”
This is a good day for him, in the long run."
"Yeah...Yeah it is, thanks Quasit!" Maka's smile returned to her face as she pondered her friend's words."You're so good with words."
Quasit cocks her head to the side and regards her friend a moment. "You feel everything so intensely." she observes. "You kinda remind me of my brother. The nice one, not the ass-hole one. His heart was wide open. It's why I..."
She stops herself abruptly, fumbles for a moment, then finishes the thought, obviously with a different ending. "...why it was so easy for me to get him in trouble." she laughs.
Maka joined in with Quasit's laughter. "Well we do get into trouble a lot, but I bet you were just as good as getting him out of trouble as you are with me. And if I remind you of him, then he was probably plenty good at getting into trouble on his own."
Maka leaned on the table next to Quasit. "We'll have to find some trouble when we go visit him after all this witch nonsense."