Brunhard scowls, then spits...
Damned dwarves. Always the damned dwarves...
...then repeats his bellow toward the stubborn dwarf;
The big knight continues to back up cautiously, conscious of Skeggi's reassuring presence joining him, acknowledging the hard-bitten Northman with a nod.
The party steps over the hillside, the sounds of... well something not right fading as they go, just in time to see a strange site...
In a copse of trees just to the right of the trail as you come in, Elmar has tethered all the donkeys to a line between two trees, built a fire, and is unloading the donkeys as you come back... Just past the site you see a small body prone and unmoving on the ground, a swarm of hornets and bees almost completely obscuring the small corpse.
Brunhard and Skeggi are walking peering back frequently to make sure no threats follow the group, and Nuriah, and Aurelie are supporting a grievously injured Murgrim between them.
"Does anybody remember which pack contained the tea"? Frye asks innocently as the party returns... seemingly unfazed by the action going on around him.
Stumbling into camp Murgrim arrives last in a dazed condition before collapsing to his knees, blood covering the front of his leathers. "Chaos beyond the walls..." he croaks harshly, not directing it at anyone.
After a moment his dirty and bloody fingers fumble at his waist. Thick and stubby they struggle to his evident frustration to pull out a small elixir. Finally retrieved he downs the contents in one swig with a further grimace.
Murgrim sighs and looks around to the group. "Dark and messy work there. We did not do well. More evil is in the world, not that we brought it, but it is not halted...."
Brunhard's brow is in deep furrow and he nods at Murgrim's words;
"Was beyond us old friend. My pike bit deep and the wound healed in a breath... and its blood scoured the metal..."
The knight levels his pike, showing the pock marks of corrosion on its spearhead as he speaks.
"We could track it. If it lairs we can warn of its presence. That much we can do..."
Brunhard's words trail off as he notices the small form enveloped by Frye's favoured insects;
"... What lies there?"
The absent minded scholar shrugs. "Oh that... it wanted a donkey and I didn't want it to take one". With a wave of his hands the doddering old fool dismisses the swarm to reveal a cut, swollen and very dead Kobold.
(Very probably the one who was running back the way you guys approached).
Nuriah stumbles a bit, trying to hold up the solid dwarf, relieved when the warrior takes a knee and drinks deep of his elixir.
"We need a rest after that...." she says, gazing flatly at the over-stung kobold. Her mouth opens to ask the obvious question, but she just shakes her head and digs out the tea for the old man, tossing it into his lap.
She then moves and pulls a old blanket from her rucksack and puts it over Mugrim's shoulders, murmuring, "Come rest by the fire," he murmurs, gently guiding the study dwarf towards the warming flames.
"Well. That was.... something." Skeggi says softly, looking back the way they had come. Seeing the dead kobold and the professor dismiss the swarm, the northman merely grunts.
"You need someone to take a closer look at that wound Murgrim?"
Skeggi's question breaks Murgrim's trace of looking at the fire, almost calm, but now pain and grief cross his face and etch in deeper. "We are not safe! Why have we stopped?" He states loudly and harshly, but not screaming, biting down on the volume visibly. Murgrim's eyes wide and still not focused.
"Chaos always moves. You can't predict it. We. Are. Not. Safe." he almost chews on each word toward the end while springing to his feet again. The swift movement causing him to sag again and letting everyone see the red covering his chest and pants again.
A sobbing sound is squelched before leaving him fully as the energy seems to be leaving him again. "...Khatul..." is whispered again, almost silent in dwarven.
Brunhard's brow furrows ever deeper as he takes in the dead kobold - stung to death by a swarm apparently influenced by the doddering old scholar.
His confusion is replaced with a grimace as Murgrim reminds them all that their brush with the chaos spawned abomination was merely a fell portent for the evil it would bring.
"By The Deep..."
The big knight rises from the fire, to place a hand upon the doughty dwarves' shoulder;
"Murgrim old friend. We cannot fight what we cannot hurt. Aye... All of us could die nobly, halting it for a day whilst our corpses were consumed... but it would be for naught..."
Brunhard eyes the others, clearly at odds between honour and duty. Twin tenets the knight constantly tried to balance.
"When we have the means, I swear we will carry the fight to chaos. We will scour its taint wherever it is found. The Leviathan will provide... and the tide will turn. I have faith..."
The elderly scholar pours a big dollop of honey, into whatever he's brewing, then pouring himself a generous portion into his battered tin mug, sprinkles in his medicine, then smiles as he sips the hot beverage.
He then looks at Murgrim and inhales sharply. "My! That won't do. I need your help. Let me take a look at that".
He then walks to one of his many packs, and pull out a roll of bandages, and a small health kit. Pulling forth a bandage and his ever present jar of honey he approaches the injured man. "I can't promise this won't hurt, but it's for the best in the long run. Can someone soak these bandages in that boiling water? Also, take that metal rod from my kit, and place it on the coals". The man begins to remove the clothing from around the wounds, and inspects them as he cleans them. "Might have to sear this one shut. Will keep it from being infected, but might leave an impressive scar. Are you willing"?
Healing (65%)
The man's hands seem steady for the first time since you've known him as he instructs Nuriah to hold the wound shut as he cauterizes the worst of the wounds. Murgrim blacks out for just a second as the intense pain of the burning overwhelms him in his weakened state. When he comes to Frye is slathering the wounds with honey, and then wraps it tightly with a bandage. "There that should heal up nicely. We'll just have to change out the bandages every couple of days until the wound scabs over".
After his ministrations the elderly scholar, finishes his tea, walks to his bedroll and within minutes is snoring contentedly.
Everyone takes a moment for the adrenaline to fade, as the night falls, and weariness overcomes the group. In particular Kurdran and Aurelie seem to be affected by the events, starting at every noise... Kurdran even drawing his weapon at a pop in the fire. The watch schedule keeps the fire an near bonfire height all night, and the evening passes without further problem.
With the dawning of the new day Frye seems to have returned to his absentminded ways, his robe on backwards, and him struggling to raise his arms. "What has happened. Someone must have altered my robes in the night. I can't seem to raise my arms... what trickery is this"?
As the party prepares to leave, you go to move the Kobold corpse off the trail into the brush, when you notice a small medallion of tarnished brass on a leather thong around the beast's neck. It is a rough piece of art depicting an angry octopus with its tentacles wrapped around the sun.
<<<Actions>>>
Nuriah watches intently as Frye tends to Mugrim's wound, trying to follow what he seems to do instinctively, too quickly.
She looks from the tightly bound injury to the man now snoring on the ground with frustration, then turns and help Murgrim get comfortable, before tending the fire, keeping it burning nice and high.
When morning comes, she rises and without complaint, assists the doddering old man with his shirt and robes.
To any awake at the time, "Well, yesterday was interesting. But, I'm for continuing on, I have a shrine to visit. And a man to deliver."
The next morning a hearty dwarf style breakfast, that he helps fix from the overfull contents of his pack, seems to recover Murgrim's spirits along with the healing of the ministrations of the old man. After he stands and goes before the old man to bow formal. "I give you my thanks Master Frye."
At Nuriah's suggestion he responds. "I agree. We need to hunt down the chaos spawn and we have a job both. I would hope the priests at the shrine are able to reinforce that effort. But we should destroy that coin although it may also show the gravity of events here to others."
Brunhard studies the brass medallion with a hard look;
"We need to find out the meaning of this image. I am troubled by its use of one of The Leviathan's children... The beast itself referred to me as salt brother. For this reason alone I cannot allow its destruction... not until I know its significance."
The knight clutches the symbol with a grimace;
"We deliver the scholar... and as Murgrim says - the priests and library may provide more answers for us..."
/me nods. "Makes sense. One thing is for sure, I'm not hunting that thing until I know what I'm dealing with." He shovels the last of his breakfast down his gullet, climbs to his feet, and stretches. "May as well get a move on. Day is wasting."